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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. court — of law
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. court — for sport
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. court — of a king
  11. bark — to shout
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. fork — in a road
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cap — of ice
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. leaves — to go away

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