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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pound — a weight
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. tear — from crying
  7. cold — an illness
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rest — a break
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. tear — to rip

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