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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. land — a country
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. branch — a division
  7. rock — music
  8. face — to point toward
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. face — to confront
  14. fall — to drop
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rock — a stone
  18. tear — from crying
  19. sharp — clever
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — to come down
  22. fall — the season
  23. land — ground
  24. sharp — exactly

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