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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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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: ground · net · mouse · perch · straw · tear · lie · bulb

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. net — after costs
  4. ground — crushed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bulb — for light
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. ground — a position
  12. bulb — for light
  13. perch — the fish
  14. tear — to rip
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — for catching
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. net — in sport
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lie — to recline

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