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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. net — for catching
  3. spring — a coil
  4. wound — an injury
  5. net — after costs
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ground — a position
  8. scale — size or range
  9. perch — the fish
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. wound — an injury
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spring — the season
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. ground — the earth
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. net — in sport
  22. scale — in music
  23. ground — crushed
  24. leaves — to go away

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