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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — a coil
  9. date — the fruit
  10. scale — size or range
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — thin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. scale — in music
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. foot — a measure
  22. spring — of water
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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