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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 120 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — ground
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — a cup
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. row — to paddle
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. row — a line
  16. land — a country
  17. mug — a face
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mug — to rob
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. perch — the fish
  24. leaves — lets stay

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