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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spring — the season
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. can — a tin
  7. spring — a coil
  8. foot — a measure
  9. rock — music
  10. file — a document
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. can — to be able to
  13. file — a tool
  14. perch — the fish
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spring — of water
  20. file — a line of people
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to click
  23. prune — to trim
  24. rock — a stone

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