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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mug — to rob
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. root — the cause
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. perch — the fish
  8. root — of a word
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. root — of a plant
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — rain
  17. mug — a face
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. band — a music group
  20. mug — a cup
  21. snap — to click
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. perch — for a bird

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