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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.

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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: root · spring · deal · last · lie · leaves · bound · perch

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. spring — a coil
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bound — certain
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. spring — of water
  7. bound — tied together
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. perch — the fish
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. last — to go on
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. last — finally
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — obliged
  19. lie — to recline
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. spring — the season
  22. root — the cause
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. deal — to handle

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