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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cell — in biology
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cell — a phone
  6. season — of the year
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. deal — to handle
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. perch — the fish
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. land — a country
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — to come down
  19. season — in sport
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. land — ground
  24. cell — in a prison

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