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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fan · tear · wound · perch · bound · rash · mug · rush

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tear — from crying
  3. mug — to rob
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rash — hasty
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bound — certain
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rush — hurry
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tear — to rip
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rash — a series
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mug — a face
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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