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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 124 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. shower — rain
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bear — the animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. staff — employees
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. wound — an injury
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. staff — a stick
  23. perch — the fish
  24. staff — employees

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