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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.

Words on the sheet
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: mine · spring · suit · content · squash · perch · chip · last

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. squash — to crush
  3. last — to go on
  4. content — the amount
  5. squash — the sport
  6. perch — the fish
  7. suit — in cards
  8. spring — the season
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. content — happy
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. suit — clothes
  15. chip — to eat
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. suit — to fit
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spring — of water
  21. last — finally
  22. mine — for digging
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. last — final

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