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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spring — of water
  8. press — a publisher
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tear — to rip
  11. root — of a plant
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. press — newspapers
  14. snap — to click
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. root — of a word
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. tear — from crying
  23. root — the cause
  24. press — to push

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