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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to tire
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. face — to point toward
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wind — moving air
  17. band — a ring
  18. face — part of the head
  19. face — to confront
  20. perch — the fish
  21. band — a music group
  22. wind — moving air
  23. ground — the earth
  24. perch — for a bird

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