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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. lie — to recline
  11. key — in music
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. tear — from crying
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spring — of water
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. spring — the season
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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