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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kid — to tease
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bark — to shout
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rock — music
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bound — tied together
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bound — certain
  24. kid — child

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