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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.

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 · bark · mine · mate · lie · wake · face · spring

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mate — a partner
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — a coil
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. face — to confront
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. spring — the season
  22. face — part of the head
  23. lie — to recline
  24. spring — of water

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