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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 120 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: arm · fan · perch · ground · bear · stand · rush · bat

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stand — to bear
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bear — the animal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ground — a position
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. bat — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. rush — to hurry

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