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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. kid — to tease
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lean — thin
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bear — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rash — a series
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. tear — to rip
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tear — from crying
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — on the skin

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