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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: staff · perch · craft · last · board · fine · tear · foot

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. staff — a stick
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. last — to go on
  5. fine — high quality
  6. board — a committee
  7. tear — to rip
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — boats
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. staff — employees
  12. board — to get on
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. last — finally
  15. craft — a skill
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. staff — employees
  18. fine — all right
  19. foot — a measure
  20. tear — from crying
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. tear — from crying
  24. perch — the fish

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