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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stand — to bear
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wake — a trail
  9. season — of the year
  10. firm — decided
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ground — crushed
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. firm — a company
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ground — a position
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ground — the earth
  23. firm — steady
  24. stand — on your feet

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