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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 116 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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fine — high quality
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — a series
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bulb — for light
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rash — hasty
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. ground — the earth
  20. row — a line
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ground — crushed
  23. row — to paddle
  24. ground — a position

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