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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. perch — the fish
  3. rock — a stone
  4. date — the fruit
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. spring — of water
  10. season — in sport
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rock — music
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. season — of the year
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spring — a coil
  19. drill — army training
  20. squash — the sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — the tool
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. perch — for a bird

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