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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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468
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: pound · deal · spring · perch · spell · racket · sharp · club

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — letters
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. club — a group
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. spring — of water
  8. pound — a weight
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. deal — to handle
  11. sharp — clever
  12. perch — the fish
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — the season
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. spell — a short time
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. spell — magic
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. club — for golf
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spring — a coil
  24. deal — an agreement

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