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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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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: perch · bowl · stand · last · saw · kid · land · leaves

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — child
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. land — a country
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. last — to go on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — ground
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. last — finally
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. land — to come down

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