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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: row · rest · perch · hand · pop · lean · fan · march

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. perch — the fish
  4. row — to paddle
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hand — help
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pop — music
  13. pop — to visit
  14. hand — in cards
  15. lean — to bend
  16. row — a line
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lean — thin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — soda
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. rest — what's left

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