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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — letters
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. tear — from crying
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spell — magic
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. tear — to rip

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