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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 120 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 · cap · spring · can · ball · spell · mate · straw

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. can — to be able to
  3. mate — a friend
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cap — a hat
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spell — a short time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spring — the season
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. can — a tin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. perch — the fish

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