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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — to wash
  4. bound — certain
  5. chair — a leader
  6. perch — the fish
  7. current — happening now
  8. root — of a plant
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. current — electric
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. root — of a word
  15. current — of water
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. hand — in cards
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. root — the cause
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. rush — hurry
  22. shower — rain
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bound — tied together

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