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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. rock — music
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. tear — from crying
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pop — music
  9. tear — to rip
  10. pop — soda
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tear — from crying
  13. scale — in music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. scale — size or range
  20. perch — the fish
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. rock — a stone
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bulb — for light

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