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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. board — a committee
  6. content — happy
  7. can — to be able to
  8. last — final
  9. perch — the fish
  10. content — the amount
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. last — finally
  13. can — a tin
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bark — to shout
  16. can — a tin
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. squash — the sport
  19. board — to get on
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. last — to go on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — a flat piece

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