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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 116 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: present · lean · mate · perch · cell · hide · bay · wound

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. mate — a friend
  4. cell — in biology
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. lean — thin
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. present — there
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mate — to breed
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bay — a horse colour

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