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

Word bank: deal · squash · kid · sharp · cue · bark · trunk · perch

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bark — to shout
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. squash — the sport
  5. sharp — clever
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. cue — a signal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cue — a hint
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kid — child
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cue — for pool
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. squash — to crush
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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