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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. scale — size or range
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. club — a group
  7. scale — in music
  8. rest — a break
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. club — for dancing
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bark — to shout
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. tear — to rip
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — moving air
  23. club — for golf
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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