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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: net · leaves · chair · stand · perch · craft · tear · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. chair — a leader
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. perch — the fish
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. craft — boats
  8. tear — to rip
  9. net — after costs
  10. craft — a skill
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — for catching
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. net — in sport
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. stand — to bear
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. tear — from crying

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