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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. content — happy
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. perch — the fish
  10. spell — magic
  11. rash — a series
  12. current — electric
  13. net — for catching
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. net — after costs
  16. current — of water
  17. net — in sport
  18. bark — to shout
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. current — happening now
  21. spell — letters
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rash — hasty
  24. content — the amount

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