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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 116 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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. firm — a company
  3. dip — to sink
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. present — there
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fall — the season
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fall — to drop
  15. scale — in music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. present — the time now
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — steady
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. present — a gift
  24. trunk — of a tree

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