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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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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. net — for catching
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. perch — the fish
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. shower — rain
  9. band — a ring
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. band — a music group
  14. net — in sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. net — after costs
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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