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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wound — an injury
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stand — to bear
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wound — an injury
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. spring — of water
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — the season
  16. press — to push
  17. club — for golf
  18. press — newspapers
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. press — a publisher
  21. club — for dancing
  22. deal — to handle
  23. spring — a coil
  24. stand — on your feet

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