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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.

Make a worksheet

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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468
Word bank
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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. rash — hasty
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — of water
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. net — for catching
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rash — a series
  14. net — after costs
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — the season
  22. net — in sport
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — a supporter

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