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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. season — in sport
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. season — of the year
  6. can — a tin
  7. shower — rain
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — to shout
  12. can — to be able to
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. net — after costs
  15. can — a tin
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. net — for catching
  21. shower — to wash
  22. perch — the fish
  23. net — in sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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