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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. content — happy
  4. mark — a trace
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bark — to shout
  9. board — to get on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. board — a committee
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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