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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: lean · field · stick · drill · stand · current · perch · straw

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. drill — the tool
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lean — to bend
  11. field — farmland
  12. current — of water
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. current — happening now
  15. field — for sport
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. stand — to bear
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. current — electric
  24. field — a subject

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