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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 dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. can — a tin
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ball — a dance
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. perch — the fish
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bark — to shout
  14. ball — a great time
  15. spell — letters
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. can — a tin
  20. spell — magic
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. can — to be able to
  24. spell — a short time

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