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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. field — farmland
  3. shower — rain
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — a subject
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. clip — to cut
  10. can — to be able to
  11. field — for sport
  12. shower — to wash
  13. clip — a video
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. bore — to drill
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. clip — for paper
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bore — to tire
  24. perch — the fish

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