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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. band — a music group
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. face — to confront
  7. bear — the animal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. perch — the fish
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pop — soda
  12. pop — to visit
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pop — music
  15. cue — a signal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. band — a ring
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cue — a hint
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. tube — a container
  22. cue — for pool
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. face — to point toward

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