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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. swing — in golf
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ground — a position
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bank — of a river
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. foot — a measure
  17. swing — music
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bank — for money
  20. ground — crushed
  21. swing — to play on
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bank — for money

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