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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · squash · rule · kid · perch · bass · lean · bark

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rule — government
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bass — the fish
  14. foot — a measure
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — child
  18. lean — to bend
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. rule — a law

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