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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.

Make a worksheet

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: march · bore · pit · saw · perch · spell · mine · stem

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bore — to tire
  3. pit — in a race
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. march — the month
  8. mine — for digging
  9. pit — a hole
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stem — to come from
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. spell — magic
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. spell — letters
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. perch — for a bird

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