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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: rest · club · staff · stand · perch · saw · bark · chest

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. staff — employees
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — of your body
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. club — a group
  13. stand — to bear
  14. chest — a box
  15. bark — to shout
  16. chest — of your body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. staff — employees
  19. perch — the fish
  20. rest — a break
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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