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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bass — the fish
  3. perch — the fish
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. hand — help
  11. bass — low music
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bark — to shout
  19. hand — in cards
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. deal — to handle
  24. trunk — 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