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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 116 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: sharp · bat · leaves · hide · spring · mine · bear · perch

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. spring — the season
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bat — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spring — of water
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mine — for digging
  23. sharp — clever
  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