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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fall — to drop
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. content — happy
  9. rash — a series
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — the amount
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mine — for digging
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. fall — the season

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