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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 116 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: coach · perch · staff · spring · game · fall · current · firm

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. firm — steady
  3. spring — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. staff — employees
  6. game — a match
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — decided
  11. perch — the fish
  12. staff — employees
  13. current — happening now
  14. fall — the season
  15. current — of water
  16. fall — to drop
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. spring — a coil
  20. game — wild animals
  21. current — electric
  22. spring — of water
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. staff — a stick

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