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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. shower — rain
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wind — moving air
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. bound — obliged
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. present — there
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — to wash
  17. perch — the fish
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bound — certain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. stem — to come from
  24. arm — part of the body

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