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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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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: leaves · can · last · field · perch · wind · tube · shower

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. can — a tin
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. last — to go on
  5. field — farmland
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. shower — rain
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — a subject
  10. wind — moving air
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — finally
  13. can — to be able to
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. shower — to wash
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tube — the underground
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — a container
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. last — final
  23. perch — the fish
  24. field — for sport

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