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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spring — the season
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spring — a coil
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. wax — to grow
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitch — completely
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. band — a ring
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. foot — a measure
  17. spring — of water
  18. bark — to shout
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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