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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. season — in sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rock — music
  8. season — of the year
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. root — the cause
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rock — a stone
  15. perch — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. root — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. saw — the tool
  22. shower — rain
  23. root — of a word
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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