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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: tube · leaves · hide · lean · perch · row · rash · tear

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. lean — thin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — hasty
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. tear — from crying
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — a line
  13. tear — from crying
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — a series
  16. lean — to bend
  17. row — to paddle
  18. tube — a container
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. perch — the fish
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. rash — on the skin

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