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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 · spring · key · can · squash · branch · fan · rule

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — in music
  4. key — for a lock
  5. can — a tin
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rule — a law
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. branch — a division
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. key — the most important part
  12. spring — the season
  13. perch — the fish
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spring — a coil
  16. can — to be able to
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. can — a tin
  22. rule — government
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. spring — of water

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