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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. press — to push
  3. craft — boats
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. press — a publisher
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pop — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. perch — the fish
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pop — to visit
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. pop — soda
  24. bat — the animal

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