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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. wake — a trail
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wind — moving air
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. perch — the fish
  13. wind — moving air
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stand — to bear
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stem — to come from
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. ball — a dance

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