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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: mug · stick · perch · row · track · hide · spring · wave

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. row — to paddle
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mug — to rob
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. track — a song
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. spring — of water
  11. mug — a face
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. row — a line
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. perch — the fish
  21. track — a path
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. spring — the season

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