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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. land — ground
  3. perch — the fish
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. tear — from crying
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. tear — to rip
  11. land — a country
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. cue — for pool
  14. cue — a signal
  15. scale — in music
  16. march — music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. scale — size or range
  20. tear — from crying
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. cue — a hint
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — the month

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