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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.

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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: chair · spring · lean · tube · perch · firm · club · bear

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. tube — the underground
  3. firm — steady
  4. perch — the fish
  5. spring — of water
  6. bear — the animal
  7. firm — a company
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. club — for golf
  12. lean — to bend
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. spring — the season
  16. bear — the animal
  17. tube — a container
  18. firm — decided
  19. chair — a leader
  20. club — a group
  21. lean — thin
  22. club — for dancing
  23. spring — a coil
  24. bear — to put up with

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