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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. chip — to eat
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fork — in a road
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chip — for betting
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. board — to get on
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. board — a committee
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a music group
  23. perch — the fish
  24. spring — the season

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