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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · fine · spring · mate · rush · perch · hand · toast

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. spring — a coil
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hand — in cards
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. fine — high quality
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. hand — help
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mate — to breed
  18. toast — bread
  19. spring — of water
  20. fine — all right
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. spring — the season

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