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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 116 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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. object — to protest
  4. rash — hasty
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rash — a series
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spring — of water
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. track — a path
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. dip — to sink
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. object — a thing
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. object — an aim
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. spring — the season
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. spring — a coil
  23. track — a song
  24. mouse — the animal

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