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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bound — obliged
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. scale — size or range
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bound — tied together
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bound — certain
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — moving air
  20. scale — in music
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. mine — for digging
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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