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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — a trail
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bark — to shout
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. chest — a box
  14. tube — a container
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. tube — the underground
  23. chest — of your body
  24. tube — in a tire

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