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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. tube — the underground
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. track — a path
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. tube — a container
  7. court — of a king
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bulb — for light
  11. perch — the fish
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spring — of water
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spring — a coil
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spring — the season
  20. court — of law
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. court — for sport
  24. bulb — for light

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