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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. row — a line
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rash — hasty
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. field — a subject
  13. rash — a series
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bark — to shout
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. field — for sport
  24. perch — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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