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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. perch — the fish
  5. tear — from crying
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bulb — for light
  10. shower — rain
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. squash — to crush
  14. shower — to wash
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. bulb — for light
  20. snap — to click
  21. vault — a safe
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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