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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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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: foot · perch · jam · key · wound · land · cap · rest

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. land — ground
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. key — the most important part
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rest — a break
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wound — an injury
  18. land — to come down
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. land — a country
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cap — a lid
  24. wound — an injury

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