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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. spring — of water
  3. bank — of a river
  4. spring — the season
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bank — for money
  8. pop — soda
  9. plane — a tool
  10. wax — to grow
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bank — for money
  16. pop — music
  17. spring — a coil
  18. perch — the fish
  19. season — of the year
  20. pop — to visit
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. season — in sport
  24. shower — rain

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