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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bank — for money
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. swing — to play on
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spring — the season
  9. swing — music
  10. wax — to grow
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bank — for money
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spring — of water
  21. swing — in golf
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bank — of a river
  24. saw — the tool

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