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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 116 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: lie · perch · bat · season · land · tear · ball · bark

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. land — to come down
  3. ball — a great time
  4. land — a country
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lie — to recline
  9. season — of the year
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. perch — the fish
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. season — in sport
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bat — the animal
  22. tear — to rip
  23. bark — to shout
  24. land — ground

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