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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. perch — the fish
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — to shout
  19. saw — the tool
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. root — of a plant
  24. arm — part of the body

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