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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. roll — a cake
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. perch — the fish
  6. charge — in control
  7. court — of law
  8. saw — the tool
  9. bound — tied together
  10. charge — a price
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. saw — the tool
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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