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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fall — the season
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. tear — from crying
  16. can — a tin
  17. shower — rain
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bass — low music
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fine — all right
  23. tear — to rip
  24. shower — to wash

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