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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: perch · arm · stand · march · pass · mark · lash · ground

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. perch — the fish
  3. ground — a position
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. mark — a trace
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. stand — to bear
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. march — music
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lash — to lash out

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