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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. spring — of water
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. spring — the season
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — a coil
  19. perch — the fish
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. foot — a measure
  23. lean — thin
  24. pitch — completely

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