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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — a cake
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. saw — the tool
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tube — the underground
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bass — the fish
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. tube — a container
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bass — low music

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