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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: fan · spring · perch · rash · pop · cap · stock · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — a series
  4. spring — the season
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cap — of ice
  8. pop — to visit
  9. key — the most important part
  10. spring — of water
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pop — music
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. stock — shares
  16. rash — hasty
  17. pop — soda
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. key — in music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cap — a lid
  22. spring — a coil
  23. stock — goods
  24. fan — a supporter

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