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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. can — a tin
  4. dip — to sink
  5. spell — magic
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. can — a tin
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spring — a coil
  11. can — to be able to
  12. spring — of water
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spell — a short time
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — letters
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. spring — the season
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. perch — for a bird

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