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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: saw · fan · season · key · fork · bound · perch · current

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. key — the most important part
  4. current — electric
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. season — in sport
  10. bound — obliged
  11. key — in music
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — of the year
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. current — happening now
  17. current — of water
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. key — for a lock
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fork — in a road
  24. perch — for a bird

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