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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. row — to paddle
  6. spring — of water
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spell — magic
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — all right
  16. spell — letters
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. spring — the season
  19. capital — money
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. fall — to drop
  22. capital — a city
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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