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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. bark — to shout
  3. cell — in biology
  4. board — a committee
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stem — to come from
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. suit — clothes
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. perch — the fish
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cell — a phone
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. clip — to cut
  24. board — to get on

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