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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — wild animals
  4. board — to get on
  5. spring — of water
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. perch — the fish
  8. chest — a box
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. game — a match
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — a coil
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. board — a committee
  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