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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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. date — on the calendar
  4. bank — of a river
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bank — for money
  7. field — farmland
  8. roll — a list
  9. field — a subject
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. spring — the season
  12. mug — a face
  13. bank — for money
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mug — a cup
  17. roll — a cake
  18. field — for sport
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — a coil
  22. sharp — clever
  23. mug — to rob
  24. sharp — with an edge

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