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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. shower — rain
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bat — the animal
  7. swing — music
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pound — a weight
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bear — the animal
  16. perch — the fish
  17. swing — to play on
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. wound — an injury
  24. leaves — of a tree

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