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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.

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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rash — hasty
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — a thing
  5. tube — a container
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. rash — a series
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. shower — to wash
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. clip — a video
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. clip — to cut
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. shower — rain
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. object — to protest
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. clip — for paper

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