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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. shower — to wash
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rock — a stone
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rock — music
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. shower — rain
  24. perch — the fish

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