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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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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: kid · object · mouse · sharp · perch · saw · cell · tear

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. perch — the fish
  5. object — an aim
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. tear — from crying
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cell — a phone
  12. kid — child
  13. tear — to rip
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. kid — to tease
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cell — in biology
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. object — to protest
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. object — a thing

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