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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. spring — of water
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spring — a coil
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mate — a friend
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. spell — a short time
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spell — letters
  14. mate — a partner
  15. spell — magic
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. branch — a division
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mate — to breed
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. spring — the season

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