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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. fall — the season
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. fall — to drop
  7. hand — in cards
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — from crying
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. mug — a cup
  12. drill — a practice
  13. mug — a face
  14. hand — help
  15. tear — to rip
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mug — to rob
  21. drill — the tool
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. drill — army training
  24. stand — to bear

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