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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. kid — child
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. date — the fruit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mine — for digging
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. spell — magic
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. perch — the fish
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. kid — to tease

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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