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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. can — a tin
  9. land — to come down
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. perch — the fish
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. land — ground
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bark — to shout
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. land — a country
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. can — a tin

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