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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. land — to come down
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bound — certain
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bound — obliged
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. land — ground
  12. lie — to recline
  13. plane — a tool
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. bark — to shout
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. land — a country
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bound — tied together
  24. cabinet — ministers

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