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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. ________________ 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. perch — for a bird
  2. tear — from crying
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. press — newspapers
  5. scale — size or range
  6. content — the amount
  7. press — to push
  8. land — a country
  9. content — happy
  10. land — ground
  11. press — a publisher
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. scale — in music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. land — to come down
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. tear — from crying
  18. 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