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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 120 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: cap · scale · lie · face · perch · bound · spring · game

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cap — a hat
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to point toward
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. game — a match
  8. cap — a lid
  9. scale — in music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — the season
  15. bound — obliged
  16. lie — to recline
  17. cap — of ice
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. face — to confront
  21. spring — of water
  22. perch — the fish
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. scale — size or range

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