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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. craft — a skill
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bark — to shout
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bass — low music
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. craft — boats
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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