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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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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 · bore · staff · key · pound · last · craft · season

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pound — a weight
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. staff — employees
  6. key — for a lock
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. staff — employees
  12. bore — to drill
  13. key — the most important part
  14. craft — a skill
  15. last — final
  16. staff — a stick
  17. craft — boats
  18. bore — to tire
  19. last — finally
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. last — to go on
  24. key — in music

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