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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. roll — a cake
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. saw — the tool
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. roll — a list
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bark — to shout
  18. date — the fruit
  19. plane — a tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  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