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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 turn the ________________ on?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — to get on
  8. bark — to shout
  9. board — a committee
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wax — to grow
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. snap — to click
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. perch — the fish

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