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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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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: can · wake · temple · lean · lash · rest · cold · perch

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rest — what's left
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. cold — an illness
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rest — a break
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. can — a tin

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