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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: object · track · ground · fan · leaves · tube · wind · perch

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. object — to protest
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. track — a song
  5. tube — a container
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. wind — moving air
  9. object — an aim
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tube — the underground
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ground — crushed
  16. object — a thing
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — to go away

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