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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wax — to grow
  4. row — a line
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. present — the time now
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. row — to paddle
  16. perch — the fish
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. present — a gift
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bark — to shout
  24. calf — of the leg

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