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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. kick — in football
  3. spell — letters
  4. bound — obliged
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bound — tied together
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. object — a thing
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. tear — to rip
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bound — certain
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wax — to grow
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bark — to shout

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