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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. spring — the season
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. prune — to trim
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. current — electric
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. row — a line
  18. perch — the fish
  19. current — of water
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — in sport
  22. prune — to trim
  23. current — happening now
  24. spring — a coil

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