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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. mate — a partner
  3. tube — the underground
  4. spring — of water
  5. perch — the fish
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spring — a coil
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. tube — a container
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. rest — what's left
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. club — a group
  24. swing — to play on

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