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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · perch · mug · leaves · bore · cold · clip · bark

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bore — to tire
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bark — to shout
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. clip — a video
  12. mug — a face
  13. cold — not warm
  14. clip — to cut
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. mug — a cup
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bore — to drill
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. foot — a measure
  24. leaves — lets stay

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