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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. lie — to recline
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spell — letters
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bark — to shout
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. spell — magic
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. stand — to bear
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. spell — a short time
  20. capital — money
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rash — a series
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. plane — a tool

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