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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: cap · hand · wake · season · pound · perch · firm · toast

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. firm — a company
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. firm — steady
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — the fish
  7. hand — help
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. season — of the year
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. season — in sport
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. toast — bread
  19. cap — a lid
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. firm — decided

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