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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. band — a ring
  6. swing — in golf
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. spring — a coil
  11. wind — moving air
  12. band — a music group
  13. saw — the tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. deal — to handle
  16. plane — a tool
  17. perch — the fish
  18. swing — music
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. spring — the season
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spring — of water
  24. swing — to play on

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