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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. pop — soda
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kid — child
  10. kid — to tease
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — to get on
  14. perch — the fish
  15. charge — a price
  16. snap — to click
  17. charge — in control
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — moving air
  20. board — a committee
  21. pop — music
  22. pop — to visit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. charge — electricity

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