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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · firm · lean · row · key · nail · bark · press

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. firm — a company
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. row — a line
  6. key — for a lock
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lean — to bend
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — to shout
  12. press — a publisher
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. perch — the fish
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. firm — decided
  17. key — the most important part
  18. press — to push
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. key — in music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. lean — thin
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — of a tree

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