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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 116 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pop — soda
  4. lean — thin
  5. pop — music
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. game — wild animals
  13. band — a music group
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. firm — decided
  16. spring — of water
  17. firm — a company
  18. game — a match
  19. lean — to bend
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pop — to visit
  23. cell — a phone
  24. firm — steady

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