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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. wind — moving air
  6. press — to push
  7. bound — tied together
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. bound — obliged
  11. file — a document
  12. fork — in a road
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. file — a tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. file — a line of people
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bound — certain
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. dip — to dunk

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