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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 120 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. perch — the fish
  6. cap — a hat
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cap — a lid
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — the sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. squash — to crush
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rule — a law
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bear — the animal
  19. staff — employees
  20. spring — of water
  21. rule — government
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. staff — a stick

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