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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bulb — for light
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wound — an injury
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. march — the month
  14. key — in music
  15. march — music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. march — the month

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