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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. prune — to trim
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. bark — to shout
  8. land — ground
  9. land — a country
  10. lie — to recline
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. prune — to trim
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bass — low music
  18. perch — the fish
  19. land — to come down
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. racket — for tennis

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