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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wind — moving air
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. ground — crushed
  8. ground — a position
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — moving air
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. ground — the earth

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