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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: jam · ground · firm · fan · hand · perch · stem · date

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. firm — steady
  11. hand — help
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ground — the earth
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — a company
  18. ground — crushed
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. ground — a position
  21. perch — the fish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hand — in cards

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