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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bass — the fish
  6. lean — thin
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. lean — to bend
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. foot — a measure
  15. bark — to shout
  16. field — farmland
  17. wind — moving air
  18. field — for sport
  19. bass — low music
  20. perch — the fish
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. field — a subject
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wind — to turn a key

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