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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bore — to drill
  5. land — to come down
  6. degree — an amount
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. root — of a plant
  10. degree — from a university
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — to tire
  13. wound — an injury
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. root — the cause
  18. land — a country
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. root — of a word
  23. land — ground
  24. wound — an injury

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