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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ground — the earth
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. spring — of water
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. current — happening now
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — crushed
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. ground — a position
  14. current — electric
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pound — a weight
  18. current — of water
  19. season — of the year
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — the season
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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