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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: wave · cell · club · plane · stand · last · cap · perch

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. club — a group
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. last — finally
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cap — a lid
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. plane — a tool
  15. last — to go on
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. club — for golf
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. stand — to bear
  22. perch — the fish
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. cell — in a prison

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