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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — the fish
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. rock — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. object — to protest
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — an aim
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wound — an injury

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