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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: perch · cold · mouse · track · stick · rash · lean · wake

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. track — a path
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. track — to keep track
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rash — a series
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — the fish
  16. lean — thin
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. track — a song
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cold — an illness

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