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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: perch · wound · dip · season · cue · rule · spell · current

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. current — electric
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rule — government
  6. spell — a short time
  7. current — happening now
  8. perch — the fish
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. season — in sport
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spell — letters
  13. season — of the year
  14. spell — magic
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. cue — a signal
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cue — for pool
  19. dip — to sink
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rule — a law
  22. cue — a hint
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. current — 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