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

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. snap — to click
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pop — to visit
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. ground — the earth
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pop — soda
  14. pop — music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. ground — a position
  18. bear — the animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ground — crushed

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