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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: perch · bank · bear · arm · rush · stand · clip · stem

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bear — the animal
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bank — for money
  13. clip — for paper
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bank — for money
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bank — of a river
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. clip — a video

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