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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bound — certain
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. toast — bread
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. bound — tied together
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rash — hasty
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. rash — a series
  16. bound — obliged
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bark — to shout
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. wax — to grow
  24. roll — a list

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