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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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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: deal · perch · plane · jam · wind · club · mate · mine

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. mate — to breed
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. perch — the fish
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — for golf
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mate — a partner

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