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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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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: board · staff · cold · rest · bear · march · perch · last

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. rest — a break
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cold — not warm
  7. march — the month
  8. bear — the animal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. board — a committee
  11. march — the month
  12. staff — employees
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. last — to go on
  16. march — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. staff — employees
  19. cold — an illness
  20. last — final
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. last — finally
  23. perch — the fish
  24. staff — a stick

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