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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 120 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cue — for pool
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. net — in sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. season — of the year
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. net — after costs
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cue — a signal
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — for catching
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wind — moving air

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