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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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468
Word bank
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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fork — in a road
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. present — a gift
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fall — the season
  11. present — the time now
  12. fall — to drop
  13. spell — magic
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — letters
  17. rest — a break
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. spell — a short time
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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