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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. shower — rain
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. squash — to crush
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. shower — to wash
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — in music
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. perch — the fish
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mine — for digging

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