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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 · rock · capital · last · perch · lie · firm · mark

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rock — music
  3. last — finally
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. last — final
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. spring — a coil
  10. firm — a company
  11. rock — a stone
  12. firm — decided
  13. spring — of water
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a city
  16. firm — steady
  17. perch — the fish
  18. mark — a grade
  19. mark — a trace
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — to recline
  22. spring — the season
  23. last — to go on
  24. capital — a big letter

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