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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 water is too ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. spring — the season
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cue — a signal
  9. bank — of a river
  10. current — happening now
  11. bank — for money
  12. toast — bread
  13. bank — for money
  14. cue — for pool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — of water
  17. current — of water
  18. perch — the fish
  19. current — electric
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a hat

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