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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: straw · temple · perch · pop · row · saw · pitcher · stand

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pop — soda
  5. stand — to bear
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. pop — to visit
  11. perch — the fish
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pop — music
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stand — on your feet

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