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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. spring — a coil
  7. suit — in cards
  8. bear — the animal
  9. band — a music group
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. branch — a division
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. spring — the season
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. suit — clothes
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chip — for betting
  21. kid — to tease
  22. band — a ring
  23. kid — child
  24. suit — to fit

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