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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tear — to rip
  3. land — a country
  4. tear — from crying
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — electric
  8. current — happening now
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. land — ground
  11. current — of water
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. face — part of the head
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. field — farmland
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — to confront
  19. perch — the fish
  20. kick — in football
  21. field — for sport
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. land — to come down
  24. face — to point toward

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