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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. spell — magic
  10. bear — the animal
  11. dip — to sink
  12. fall — to drop
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. rule — a law
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rule — government
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. wind — moving air
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fall — the season
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spell — letters

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