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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · mouse · rash · track · staff · bear · cold · perch

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — an illness
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. staff — a stick
  11. staff — employees
  12. rash — a series
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. staff — employees
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rash — hasty
  17. perch — the fish
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. bear — the animal
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bear — the animal

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