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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bore · perch · leaves · lie · tear · staff · hand · bark

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. staff — employees
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bore — to tire
  5. staff — employees
  6. tear — from crying
  7. staff — a stick
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bore — to drill
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. perch — the fish
  18. hand — help
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. leaves — to go away
  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