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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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 — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. land — a country
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. spring — of water
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. land — to come down
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stand — to bear
  19. drill — army training
  20. spring — a coil
  21. land — ground
  22. bear — the animal
  23. pitch — completely
  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