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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — of water
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. pop — music
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. perch — the fish
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pop — soda
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pop — to visit
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — a coil
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. spring — the season

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