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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fall — the season
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fall — to drop
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. hand — help
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. pound — a weight
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. tear — from crying
  13. perch — the fish
  14. hand — in cards
  15. tear — from crying
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. tear — to rip
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fall — to drop
  23. foot — a measure
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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