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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. last — final
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. last — finally
  6. plane — a tool
  7. band — a music group
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. last — to go on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. perch — the fish
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wind — moving air
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. leaves — lets stay
  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