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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: spring · drill · perch · bulb · stand · bear · pitcher · trunk

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — the fish
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bulb — for light
  14. spring — the season
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bulb — for light
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — the tool
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. spring — of water

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