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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: spring · calf · mug · perch · date · scale · roll · snap

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. mug — to rob
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. snap — to click
  12. scale — size or range
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — a cake
  15. scale — in music
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. spring — a coil
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. spring — of water
  23. date — the fruit
  24. perch — for a bird

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