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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.

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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: lie · march · mine · rush · bear · perch · bat · spring

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spring — of water
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. march — the month
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. lie — to recline
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. mine — for digging
  11. bear — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — the month
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. march — music
  16. spring — the season
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. bear — to put up with

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