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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bark — to shout
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. cold — an illness
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. cold — not warm
  12. content — the amount
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wax — to grow
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. content — happy
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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