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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kid — child
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. file — a document
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. file — a line of people
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bulb — for light
  14. tear — to rip
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. perch — the fish
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. rush — hurry
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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