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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. cap — a lid
  4. perch — the fish
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hand — help
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — a group
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — of ice
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — in cards
  19. club — for dancing
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. club — for golf

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