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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: land · band · cabinet · lash · spring · perch · mug · net

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. net — after costs
  3. band — a music group
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. land — to come down
  8. net — for catching
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spring — of water
  14. perch — the fish
  15. band — a ring
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. net — in sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. land — ground
  21. spring — the season
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. land — a country

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