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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: fan · bark · fork · clip · kid · firm · object · perch

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. bark — a dog's sound
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. firm — decided
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. perch — the fish
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — to shout
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. object — an aim
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. object — a thing
  17. firm — a company
  18. firm — steady
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kid — child
  23. object — to protest
  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