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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. lean — to bend
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. band — a ring
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a music group
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. pitch — completely
  15. cell — in biology
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. perch — the fish
  18. saw — the tool
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. lean — thin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. cell — a phone

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