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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. object — a thing
  4. degree — from a university
  5. wound — an injury
  6. object — an aim
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. object — to protest
  11. rash — a series
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. season — in sport
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. perch — the fish
  21. season — of the year
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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