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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. spring — of water
  4. bulb — for light
  5. perch — the fish
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. press — to push
  8. branch — a division
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. press — newspapers
  11. land — ground
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. spring — a coil
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. press — a publisher
  24. branch — of a tree

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