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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 hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. prune — to trim
  6. board — to get on
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. rush — hurry
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. spring — the season
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. spring — a coil
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — a committee

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