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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — to shout
  4. season — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pound — a weight
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fall — the season
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. fall — to drop

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