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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 120 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — a trace
  3. court — of law
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. court — for sport
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. tear — to rip
  8. mine — for digging
  9. shower — rain
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bank — for money
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bank — for money
  14. court — of a king
  15. lean — thin
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. lean — to bend
  19. tear — from crying
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. bank — of a river
  24. mine — belonging to me

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