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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: band · cell · mouse · ground · perch · object · craft · spring

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. band — a ring
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ground — a position
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. perch — the fish
  11. craft — boats
  12. object — an aim
  13. ground — crushed
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — a coil
  18. craft — a skill
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. object — a thing
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. object — to protest
  23. ground — the earth
  24. cell — in biology

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