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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. club — a group
  3. spell — magic
  4. track — a path
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. spring — of water
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chip — to eat
  13. tear — from crying
  14. track — to keep track
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spring — the season
  17. pop — music
  18. tear — from crying
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chip — for betting
  22. tear — to rip
  23. track — a song
  24. spell — letters

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