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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — shares
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. hand — help
  12. tear — from crying
  13. saw — the tool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. stock — goods
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. ground — a position
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. ground — crushed
  24. hand — in cards

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