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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. press — to push
  6. spring — of water
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lie — to recline
  9. snap — to click
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. squash — the sport
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — the season
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bound — certain
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bound — obliged
  21. squash — to crush
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. squash — the vegetable

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