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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — army training
  3. chest — of your body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. lean — to bend
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. scale — size or range
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. scale — in music
  18. lean — thin
  19. season — in sport
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — of the year
  22. bulb — for light
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bulb — of a plant

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