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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. kid — child
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. suit — in cards
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lean — thin
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lean — to bend
  12. march — the month
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. march — music

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