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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. degree — an amount
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. degree — from a university
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. spell — letters
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. spell — magic
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. date — the fruit
  20. degree — temperature
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. date — on the calendar

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