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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. swing — to play on
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lie — to recline
  9. mine — for digging
  10. staff — employees
  11. tear — from crying
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. perch — the fish
  14. staff — a stick
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. staff — employees
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rest — a break
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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