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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. suit — clothes
  5. spring — a coil
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. last — to go on
  9. swing — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. spring — of water
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bass — the fish
  14. suit — to fit
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tear — to rip
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. swing — to play on
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. tear — from crying

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