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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — in cards
  4. band — a ring
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. sharp — clever
  8. band — a music group
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. saw — the tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bark — to shout
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bore — to drill
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bore — to tire
  24. sharp — exactly

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