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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. fall — to drop
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. shower — to wash
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. perch — the fish
  14. march — the month
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bark — to shout
  19. fall — the season
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. fall — to drop
  23. shower — rain
  24. march — 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