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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. spring — a coil
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — of water
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. content — the amount
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. content — happy
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stand — to bear
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spring — the season
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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