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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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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 · fork · mine · kid · board · tear · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. ground — the earth
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. board — a committee
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. tear — to rip
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. kid — child
  13. perch — the fish
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — from crying
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fork — in a road
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. lie — to recline
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. kid — to tease

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