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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: ground · pop · perch · band · spring · lie · calf · date

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. band — a ring
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — the fruit
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pop — music
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. spring — a coil
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pop — to visit
  18. perch — the fish
  19. ground — a position
  20. spring — of water
  21. pop — soda
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. band — a music group
  24. calf — a young animal

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