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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: cold · bore · stem · perch · hand · toast · net · firm

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. cold — an illness
  3. toast — bread
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. firm — decided
  6. firm — steady
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — in sport
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. firm — a company
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stem — to come from
  16. net — after costs
  17. hand — help
  18. bore — to tire
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cold — not warm
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. toast — the most admired

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