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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ground — a position
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. ground — the earth
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. ground — crushed
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tube — a container
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. lie — to recline
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bark — to shout
  24. straw — a straw man

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