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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. face — to confront
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bark — to shout
  6. file — a tool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cue — a hint
  15. face — to point toward
  16. file — a document
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. file — a line of people
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cue — for pool
  24. face — part of the head

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