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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bulb — for light
  3. object — to protest
  4. spell — letters
  5. can — a tin
  6. last — to go on
  7. bore — to tire
  8. can — a tin
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bore — to drill
  12. object — an aim
  13. object — a thing
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. last — final
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spell — magic
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. spell — a short time
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. last — finally
  24. bulb — for light

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