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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. prune — to trim
  3. current — of water
  4. lean — to bend
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. lean — thin
  10. prune — to trim
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. staff — a stick
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. staff — employees
  21. current — happening now
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. staff — employees
  24. wave — of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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