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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: clip · fan · season · staff · perch · firm · hide · ground

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. clip — a video
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. ground — crushed
  7. firm — a company
  8. ground — the earth
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. ground — a position
  11. clip — for paper
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. firm — steady
  15. season — in sport
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. perch — the fish
  18. staff — employees
  19. clip — to cut
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. firm — decided
  23. season — of the year
  24. perch — for a bird

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