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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pop — soda
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. tube — a container
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. perch — the fish
  8. current — happening now
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. capital — a city
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bass — low music
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bass — the fish
  17. current — electric
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pop — music
  21. current — of water
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pop — to visit

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