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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: bark · land · staff · suit · firm · march · perch · bat

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. land — to come down
  4. firm — steady
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. suit — in cards
  9. firm — a company
  10. staff — a stick
  11. suit — to fit
  12. suit — clothes
  13. land — ground
  14. firm — decided
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. march — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. staff — employees
  22. land — a country
  23. staff — employees
  24. march — the month

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