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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. shower — rain
  4. rock — music
  5. bulb — for light
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bulb — for light
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cold — an illness
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. shower — to wash
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stand — to bear
  21. ball — a dance
  22. prune — to trim
  23. rock — a stone
  24. prune — to trim

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