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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: bulb · perch · firm · roll · chair · squash · cold · club

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. club — for golf
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cold — an illness
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. bulb — for light
  12. club — a group
  13. squash — the sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bulb — for light
  16. club — for dancing
  17. firm — decided
  18. cold — not warm
  19. perch — the fish
  20. chair — a leader
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. squash — the vegetable

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