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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: wound · chest · firm · stand · kid · row · track · perch

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kid — to tease
  4. track — to keep track
  5. firm — decided
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — a song
  13. kid — child
  14. row — a line
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. track — a path
  18. chest — a box
  19. firm — a company
  20. stand — to bear
  21. firm — steady
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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