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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. spring — a coil
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ground — crushed
  13. current — electric
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bulb — for light
  16. perch — the fish
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. current — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. ground — a position
  21. spring — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. bulb — for light
  24. ground — the earth

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