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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. spring — the season
  6. last — final
  7. wind — moving air
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. perch — the fish
  10. spring — of water
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. last — finally
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. last — to go on
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. spring — a coil
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wind — moving air
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. hide — animal skin

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