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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spell — letters
  7. tear — from crying
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mark — a grade
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. row — a line
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. tear — to rip
  18. spell — magic
  19. bore — to drill
  20. shower — rain
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bear — the animal
  23. perch — the fish
  24. shower — to wash

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