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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. clip — a video
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. track — a path
  7. clip — for paper
  8. bark — to shout
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fall — the season
  11. shower — rain
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. clip — to cut
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mate — a partner
  19. fall — to drop
  20. track — a song
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. temple — a place of worship

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