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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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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: suit · land · spring · present · firm · perch · fan · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. suit — to fit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. spring — a coil
  7. present — the time now
  8. spring — the season
  9. present — a gift
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. suit — clothes
  12. firm — decided
  13. land — ground
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — a country
  16. present — there
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. firm — steady
  19. perch — the fish
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. suit — in cards
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. firm — a company
  24. spring — of water

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