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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. fall — to drop
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. vault — a safe
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. march — music
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. wake — a trail
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fall — the season
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. march — the month
  23. perch — the fish
  24. march — the month

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