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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: perch · mouse · pass · fan · tear · race · band · fall

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. tear — from crying
  9. band — a ring
  10. tear — to rip
  11. perch — the fish
  12. race — humankind
  13. race — a contest
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. pass — a permit
  19. fall — to drop
  20. tear — from crying
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fall — the season
  24. mouse — 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