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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. field — for sport
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. pound — a weight
  8. date — the fruit
  9. spring — a coil
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. field — farmland
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. field — a subject
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. perch — the fish

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