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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. bass — low music
  3. perch — the fish
  4. can — a tin
  5. spring — a coil
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spring — of water
  9. shower — rain
  10. spring — the season
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. charge — in control
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. can — to be able to
  19. charge — electricity
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. shower — to wash
  23. can — a tin
  24. charge — a price

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