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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 120 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: rock · safe · fan · track · perch · wound · foot · rash

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. track — a song
  6. rash — hasty
  7. perch — the fish
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rash — a series
  13. rock — music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. track — a path
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. foot — a measure
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wound — an injury
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — for a bird
  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