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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. file — a document
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — a country
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. land — to come down
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. spring — the season
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. perch — the fish
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. can — to be able to
  18. file — a line of people
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. file — a tool
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. saw — the tool
  23. can — a tin
  24. land — ground

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