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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. squash — to crush
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. tear — to rip
  5. hand — help
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. squash — the sport
  15. spring — of water
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. spring — the season
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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