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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 goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. cue — a hint
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. cue — a signal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. cue — for pool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bulb — for light
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wound — an injury

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