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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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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: bay · clip · bark · fine · cabinet · perch · wind · mark

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wind — moving air
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. clip — to cut
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. clip — for paper
  22. wind — moving air
  23. clip — a video
  24. perch — the fish

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