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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · perch · land · arm · march · cabinet · chair · lie

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — music
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. march — the month
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. perch — the fish
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. land — to come down
  10. spring — the season
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — of water
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. land — ground
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. land — a country
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. spring — a coil
  24. lie — an untruth

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