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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
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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 · racket · season · hide · chest · spell · object

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. spell — letters
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. season — of the year
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. spring — the season
  9. object — a thing
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. perch — the fish
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. chest — a box
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. object — an aim
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. object — to protest
  20. season — in sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. chest — of your body
  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