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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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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: bear · lie · degree · perch · mine · stick · content · stand

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. content — happy
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. stand — to bear
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. degree — from a university
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stand — on your feet

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