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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. spring — of water
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — the month
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spring — a coil
  8. current — electric
  9. track — a song
  10. current — of water
  11. spell — letters
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. spell — magic
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. march — music
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. net — after costs
  21. march — the month
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. spring — the season
  24. current — happening now

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