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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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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: straw · chest · stand · leaves · perch · band · stem · foot

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. stand — to bear
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. perch — the fish
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. chest — a box
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. foot — a measure
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. band — a music group
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. band — a ring
  23. stem — to come from
  24. chest — of your body

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