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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. bound — tied together
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. spring — of water
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — in sport
  10. board — to get on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. bound — obliged
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. spring — the season
  16. mate — a friend
  17. board — a committee
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — for digging
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. spring — a coil
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bound — certain

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