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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. prune — to trim
  14. rush — hurry
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. face — to confront
  22. pitch — completely
  23. face — to point toward
  24. bark — of a tree

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