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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. tube — a container
  5. perch — the fish
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. wound — an injury
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bark — to shout
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. face — to confront
  22. kick — in football
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kick — a thrill

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