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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. file — a document
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. craft — boats
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. file — a tool
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a line of people
  11. capital — a city
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. capital — money
  14. rock — music
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. season — in sport
  17. bark — to shout
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. rock — a stone
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com