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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: perch · hide · straw · can · stand · staff · game · ground

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. ground — a position
  3. staff — employees
  4. game — a match
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. can — a tin
  8. game — wild animals
  9. stand — to bear
  10. can — a tin
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. staff — employees
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. staff — a stick
  20. can — to be able to
  21. perch — the fish
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. ground — the earth

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