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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 116 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: tear · cabinet · stick · perch · chair · pop

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. tear — to rip
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pop — soda
  8. tear — from crying
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chair — a leader
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. tear — from crying
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pop — music
  18. perch — for a bird

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