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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. row — to paddle
  7. bark — to shout
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. vault — a safe
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spring — a coil
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pop — soda
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pop — music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spring — the season
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pop — to visit
  23. rush — hurry
  24. spring — of water

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