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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 · bear · ground · hand · charge · mine · rest · bat

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. ground — crushed
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bat — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. perch — the fish
  11. charge — in control
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — help
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. charge — a price
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rest — a break
  24. bat — for baseball

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