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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. row — a line
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. swing — in golf
  5. suit — in cards
  6. plane — a tool
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. swing — music
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bark — to shout
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bat — the animal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. suit — clothes
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. plane — in geometry

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