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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.

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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: land · fine · rest · foot · mate · leaves · tear · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — high quality
  3. tear — to rip
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. land — a country
  6. fine — all right
  7. land — ground
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tear — from crying
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mate — to breed
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mate — a partner
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rest — a break
  22. land — to come down
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mate — a friend

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