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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. shower — to wash
  6. cap — a hat
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. shower — rain
  11. bark — to shout
  12. current — of water
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. branch — a division
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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