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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wake · date · cold · deal · staff · net · dip · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. staff — a stick
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wake — a trail
  5. cold — an illness
  6. perch — the fish
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. net — after costs
  10. staff — employees
  11. net — in sport
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — not warm
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. date — the fruit
  21. net — for catching
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. staff — employees

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