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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: spring · hide · perch · tube · bay · lean · pitcher · race

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. lean — thin
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. race — a contest
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — of water
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. perch — the fish
  14. race — humankind
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. tube — a container
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. race — the arms race
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spring — a coil
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. perch — for a bird

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