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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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468
Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. capital — money
  3. land — to come down
  4. cell — in biology
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. perch — the fish
  9. capital — a city
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. land — a country
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. land — ground
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bark — to shout
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. nail — for a hammer

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