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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. season — in sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. sharp — clever
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. perch — the fish
  10. season — of the year
  11. drill — the tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. tube — the underground
  15. tube — a container
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — to bend
  21. lean — thin
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. drill — army training
  24. sharp — exactly

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