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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. swing — music
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. swing — to play on
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. roll — a list
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bark — to shout
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bear — the animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. swing — in golf
  24. bat — in an idiom

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