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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 124 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bank — of a river
  3. pop — music
  4. perch — the fish
  5. land — to come down
  6. pop — soda
  7. land — a country
  8. wound — an injury
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bank — for money
  12. bank — for money
  13. rock — music
  14. shower — rain
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. rock — a stone
  22. wound — an injury
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. rock — to move gently

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