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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. foot — a measure
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. prune — to trim
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — the fish
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. prune — to trim
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. can — to be able to
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitch — completely
  21. can — a tin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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