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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six 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. mine — for digging
  3. tube — the underground
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — hurry
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. net — for catching
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. perch — the fish
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. net — after costs
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. net — in sport
  24. leaves — to go away

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