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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bark — to shout
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pound — a weight
  16. fall — the season
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. squash — the sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. perch — for a bird

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