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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. last — final
  4. season — of the year
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. season — in sport
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. last — finally
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wound — an injury
  17. last — to go on
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. can — to be able to
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. can — a tin
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bark — to shout

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