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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hand — in cards
  5. land — ground
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tear — to rip
  11. hand — help
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tear — from crying
  16. land — a country
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. land — to come down
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hide — animal skin

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