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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: clip · tear · fan · suit · craft · stand · perch · pass

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. suit — in cards
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. suit — to fit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. clip — for paper
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. perch — the fish
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. tear — to rip
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. clip — a video
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. craft — boats
  19. pass — a permit
  20. craft — a skill
  21. tear — from crying
  22. clip — to cut
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. stand — for spectators

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