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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. bear — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. stock — goods
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bear — the animal
  15. saw — the tool
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — to confront
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. file — a line of people
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stock — shares
  24. pound — for dogs

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