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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. perch — the fish
  3. shower — to wash
  4. ground — crushed
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. ground — a position
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. shower — rain
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bank — for money
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ground — the earth
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chip — for betting
  21. clip — a video
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bank — for money
  24. prune — to trim

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