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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. land — ground
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. land — a country
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. row — to paddle
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. wound — an injury
  20. land — to come down
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wound — an injury

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