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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 116 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. shower — rain
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ground — the earth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ground — a position
  13. tear — from crying
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wind — moving air
  19. shower — to wash
  20. tear — to rip
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. ground — crushed
  24. safe — out of danger

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