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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. clip — a video
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rule — government
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rule — a law
  17. perch — the fish
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. safe — a strongbox

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