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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. swing — music
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. swing — in golf
  9. suit — clothes
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spring — the season
  12. swing — to play on
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rock — a stone
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — in cards
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rock — music
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. spring — a coil

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