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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 120 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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. march — music
  4. degree — temperature
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. fall — to drop
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. fall — to drop
  14. march — the month
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. rash — hasty
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. degree — from a university
  19. march — the month
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rash — a series
  22. perch — the fish
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. fall — the season

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