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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. staff — employees
  3. spring — of water
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. staff — employees
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cue — a signal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. perch — the fish
  11. cue — a hint
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. stand — to bear
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cue — for pool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. staff — a stick
  23. spring — a coil
  24. perch — for a bird

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