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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 124 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — ground
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. wind — moving air
  7. file — a line of people
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. land — a country
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. can — a tin
  12. file — a tool
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. land — to come down
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. perch — the fish
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — to shout

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