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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. foot — a measure
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rest — a break
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rest — what's left
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. spring — of water
  19. rash — hasty
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. spring — the season
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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