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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 120 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: plane · perch · mate · content · stem · bore · spring · mouse

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. spring — of water
  3. perch — the fish
  4. content — the amount
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mate — a friend
  7. spring — the season
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mate — a partner
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. perch — for a bird

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