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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a music group
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spring — the season
  7. club — for dancing
  8. band — a ring
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — a group
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. face — part of the head
  18. saw — the tool
  19. club — for golf
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pitch — completely
  24. face — to confront

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