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

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. spring — the season
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lean — thin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lean — to bend
  10. shower — to wash
  11. tear — to rip
  12. tear — from crying
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. lie — to recline
  17. spring — of water
  18. shower — rain
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. spring — a coil
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tear — from crying
  24. date — the fruit

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