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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: spring · perch · fan · nail · degree · lie · bark · bore

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bore — to tire
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. degree — from a university
  8. spring — the season
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bore — to drill
  11. perch — the fish
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spring — of water
  14. lie — to recline
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lie — an untruth

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