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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: spell · nail · wave · spring · sharp · perch · bat · chest

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. perch — the fish
  3. chest — a box
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spell — letters
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spell — magic
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. spell — a short time
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chest — of your body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. sharp — clever
  22. spring — the season
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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