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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · patient · bear · dip · season · plane · straw

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. spring — the season
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. perch — the fish
  9. season — of the year
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. season — in sport
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. spring — of water
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. plane — a tool
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bear — the animal
  23. dip — to sink
  24. bear — the animal

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