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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: hide · wound · scale · lie · rock · rest · perch · spring

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rest — what's left
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rest — a break
  5. rock — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. spring — the season
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. scale — size or range
  24. rock — a stone

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