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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. perch — the fish
  5. pop — music
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. can — a tin
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pop — to visit
  12. can — to be able to
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. field — a subject
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. field — farmland
  18. face — to confront
  19. pop — soda
  20. field — for sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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