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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. row — to paddle
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. clip — to cut
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. clip — for paper
  9. season — in sport
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. clip — a video
  15. season — of the year
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — the fish
  18. press — newspapers
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. press — a publisher
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. press — to push
  23. row — a line
  24. dip — to sink

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