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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. season — of the year
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rock — music
  7. perch — the fish
  8. tube — a container
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. track — a song
  11. track — to keep track
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. track — a path
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rest — what's left

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