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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — for paper
  4. track — a song
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. kick — in football
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a path
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. clip — to cut
  12. fall — the season
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bound — certain
  16. bass — low music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bark — to shout
  20. clip — a video
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bass — the instrument

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