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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 116 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: perch · chair · lash · spring · firm · season · pound · cell

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. firm — a company
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chair — a leader
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. season — of the year
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. spring — the season
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cell — in biology
  20. cell — a phone
  21. spring — of water
  22. perch — the fish
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. season — in sport

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