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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. ball — a great time
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spring — the season
  8. prune — to trim
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. rash — hasty
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rash — a series
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spring — a coil
  22. deal — to handle
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. spring — of water

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