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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: file · perch · ground · lean · mine · pop · calf · plane

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ground — the earth
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. perch — the fish
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. ground — crushed
  11. file — a line of people
  12. ground — a position
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lean — to bend
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. plane — a tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pop — music
  21. file — a tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. file — a document

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