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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. face — part of the head
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pop — soda
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. face — to confront
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pop — to visit
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pit — a hole
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — music
  24. wind — moving air

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