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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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468
Word bank
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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. face — to confront
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. tube — a container
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. face — part of the head
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mate — to breed
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mate — a partner
  19. mate — a friend
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. racket — for tennis

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