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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. shower — to wash
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — to push
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. press — newspapers
  8. perch — the fish
  9. fork — in a road
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. lean — to bend
  13. lie — to recline
  14. press — a publisher
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. hand — help
  20. shower — rain
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lean — thin
  24. squash — to crush

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