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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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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: firm · fall · degree · straw · lie · stick · perch · wake

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. perch — the fish
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. degree — an amount
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. fall — to drop
  10. degree — temperature
  11. firm — a company
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wake — a trail
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — decided
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. degree — from a university
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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