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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rash — hasty
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pop — soda
  5. lean — to bend
  6. lean — thin
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. net — after costs
  10. pop — to visit
  11. can — to be able to
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. rash — a series
  15. can — a tin
  16. net — in sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. pop — music
  20. net — for catching
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. perch — the fish

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