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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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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: hide · stick · pound · face · perch · key · mug · spell

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mug — a face
  4. spell — letters
  5. key — for a lock
  6. spell — a short time
  7. perch — the fish
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. key — the most important part
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mug — to rob
  12. spell — magic
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. key — in music
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. face — to confront
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pound — a weight

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