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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. shower — rain
  3. pit — a hole
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. spring — the season
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. perch — the fish
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. spring — a coil
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. press — a publisher
  14. tear — from crying
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — of water
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fall — the season
  22. shower — to wash
  23. press — to push
  24. mouse — the animal

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