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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: wind · pass · lie · land · track · perch · spring · fan

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. spring — a coil
  3. track — a path
  4. land — a country
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. lie — to recline
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. track — a song
  15. wind — moving air
  16. track — to keep track
  17. spring — of water
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pass — a permit
  23. spring — the season
  24. fan — to cool the air

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