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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. hand — help
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. rash — a series
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. swing — to play on
  12. swing — in golf
  13. face — to confront
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. hand — in cards
  17. swing — music
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bark — to shout
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. hand — part of the body

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