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

Word bank: lean · craft · straw · ground · perch · stand · firm · rest

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. craft — a skill
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. lean — to bend
  6. firm — a company
  7. craft — boats
  8. perch — the fish
  9. stand — to bear
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. ground — the earth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. lean — thin
  16. firm — decided
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. firm — steady
  19. ground — a position
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. rest — a break

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