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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. root — of a plant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. spell — letters
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. root — of a word
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. root — the cause
  22. bark — to shout
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. perch — for a bird

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