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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. foot — a measure
  4. shower — rain
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. squash — to crush
  7. net — in sport
  8. shower — to wash
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bank — of a river
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bank — for money
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. squash — the sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bank — for money
  18. chest — of your body
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. perch — the fish
  22. net — after costs
  23. chest — a box
  24. squash — the vegetable

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