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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. object — to protest
  4. rash — a series
  5. land — ground
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bulb — for light
  8. object — a thing
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. object — an aim
  11. bear — the animal
  12. land — to come down
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — the fish
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bear — the animal
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bulb — for light
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. land — a country

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