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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 120 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ground — the earth
  4. perch — the fish
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. vault — a safe
  12. branch — a division
  13. dip — to sink
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. spring — a coil
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. spring — of water
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ground — a position

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