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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. season — in sport
  3. drill — army training
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. season — of the year
  6. tear — to rip
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — to visit
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — the tool
  14. tear — from crying
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pop — soda
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. drill — a practice
  21. lie — to recline
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. tear — from crying

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