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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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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: perch · nail · current · season · rule · stand · pop · hand

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pop — music
  4. pop — soda
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. hand — help
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stand — to bear
  10. current — of water
  11. perch — the fish
  12. current — electric
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. current — happening now
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pop — to visit
  19. season — in sport
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. hand — in cards
  23. rule — a law
  24. season — of the year

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