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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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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 · fall · chest · bass · hand · stick · staff · bay

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fall — the season
  8. staff — employees
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. staff — employees
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hand — help
  14. bass — low music
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. chest — a box
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bass — the fish
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. staff — a stick
  23. fall — to drop
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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