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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. field — farmland
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — help
  6. wake — a trail
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — for sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. field — a subject
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. hand — in cards
  24. perch — for a bird

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