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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. net — for catching
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. swing — in golf
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rash — a series
  9. net — in sport
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. fall — to drop
  14. perch — the fish
  15. net — after costs
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rash — hasty
  19. swing — music
  20. fall — the season
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. swing — to play on
  23. lie — to recline
  24. perch — for a bird

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