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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: saw · ball · rest · perch · cell · spring · squash · drill

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — the season
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. saw — the tool
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rest — what's left
  10. squash — to crush
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rest — a break
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. drill — army training
  15. spring — of water
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. drill — a practice
  22. saw — the tool
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rest — what's left

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