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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: perch · mine · can · straw · temple · mate · cold · plane

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. perch — the fish
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mate — to breed
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cold — not warm
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. plane — a tool
  14. cold — an illness
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. can — a tin
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. can — a tin
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mine — for digging
  24. mate — a friend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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