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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: mouse · bulb · perch · wave · track · tear · cold · firm

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. firm — steady
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. track — a path
  10. perch — the fish
  11. bulb — for light
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. track — a song
  17. cold — not warm
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. perch — for a bird

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