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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. hand — help
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pop — soda
  6. perch — the fish
  7. march — the month
  8. hand — in cards
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. march — the month
  13. current — happening now
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ground — the earth
  18. march — music
  19. spring — of water
  20. current — electric
  21. pop — music
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. snap — to click

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