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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: saw · staff · wound · kid · cold · object · suit · perch

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wound — an injury
  6. cold — an illness
  7. kid — child
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. suit — to fit
  10. perch — the fish
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — an aim
  17. suit — clothes
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. staff — employees
  22. object — a thing
  23. staff — employees
  24. object — to protest

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