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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.

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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. face — to confront
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. face — to point toward
  10. perch — the fish
  11. tear — to rip
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. tear — from crying
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. tear — from crying
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mouse — the animal

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