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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. ground — a position
  5. track — a song
  6. wind — moving air
  7. shower — to wash
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rest — what's left
  10. branch — a division
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — moving air
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rest — a break
  19. perch — the fish
  20. ground — the earth
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. track — a path
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rest — what's left

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