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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: staff · drill · mate · perch · arm · bowl · stand · season

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stand — to bear
  5. season — in sport
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. perch — the fish
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. mate — a friend
  13. drill — a practice
  14. staff — employees
  15. mate — to breed
  16. drill — the tool
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. season — of the year
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. staff — employees
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. drill — army training

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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