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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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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: tear · safe · rock · perch · club · spring · racket · last

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. club — a group
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. club — for dancing
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. last — finally
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. last — to go on
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. club — for golf
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. tear — from crying
  22. last — final
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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