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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. board — to get on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. fall — the season
  6. board — a committee
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tear — from crying
  9. mine — for digging
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bark — to shout
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — in sport
  14. perch — the fish
  15. net — after costs
  16. drill — army training
  17. tear — to rip
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — the tool
  24. fall — to drop

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