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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
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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: spell · bass · rock · mine · lean · perch · land · hide

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. land — ground
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lean — thin
  10. mine — for digging
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. land — to come down
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — low music
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. rock — a stone
  17. spell — magic
  18. rock — music
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lean — to bend
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. land — a country

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