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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. file — a document
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. file — a tool
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. cold — an illness
  9. perch — the fish
  10. cold — not warm
  11. spring — a coil
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bear — the animal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. spring — the season
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spring — of water

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