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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 116 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: fall · bat · ground · saw · land · perch · fan · rock

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fall — the season
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — a country
  13. perch — the fish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bat — the animal
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — ground
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rock — a stone
  24. saw — the tool

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