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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — in sport
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bound — obliged
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. squash — to crush
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. spring — the season
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bulb — for light
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spring — of water
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bulb — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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