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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. lie — to recline
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. perch — the fish
  9. field — a subject
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — in sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. field — farmland
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. field — for sport
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. spell — magic
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. perch — for a bird

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