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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 120 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lean — thin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. stand — to bear
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. lean — to bend
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. fall — to drop
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fall — the season
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. perch — for a bird

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