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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.

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: lie · vault · perch · capital · content · season · spring · land

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. capital — a city
  6. spring — a coil
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. content — happy
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. season — of the year
  11. capital — money
  12. content — the amount
  13. land — to come down
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — a country
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. land — ground
  19. perch — the fish
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. content — videos and posts

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