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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bear — the animal
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — the season
  6. pop — music
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. ball — a great time
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. club — for dancing
  13. ball — a dance
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. pop — soda
  19. spring — of water
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spring — a coil
  24. club — for golf

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