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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. kid — to tease
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. perch — the fish
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. saw — the tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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