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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: kid · key · stand · sharp · firm · perch · spring · fall

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. firm — steady
  3. key — for a lock
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. firm — a company
  6. key — the most important part
  7. fall — to drop
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. firm — decided
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spring — of water
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stand — to bear
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. spring — the season
  21. kid — to tease
  22. spring — a coil
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. perch — for a bird

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