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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. mate — a partner
  6. land — a country
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mate — to breed
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mate — a friend
  12. land — to come down
  13. bass — low music
  14. lean — thin
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. file — a tool
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. land — ground
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

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

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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