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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. root — of a plant
  6. shower — rain
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. band — a music group
  12. craft — boats
  13. shower — to wash
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. root — the cause
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. root — of a word
  18. date — the fruit
  19. face — part of the head
  20. craft — a skill
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. band — a ring
  24. bark — to shout

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