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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. tube — a container
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cell — a phone
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. cell — in biology
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. prune — to trim
  15. can — to be able to
  16. scale — in music
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tube — the underground
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. scale — size or range
  22. prune — to trim
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — the animal

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