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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. march — music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. tear — from crying
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. shower — rain
  12. march — the month
  13. fork — in a road
  14. march — the month
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. tear — to rip
  19. shower — to wash
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. scale — size or range
  22. tear — from crying
  23. scale — in music
  24. perch — the fish

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