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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: net · spring · perch · stand · kid · snap · dip · straw

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. spring — of water
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. spring — the season
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. perch — the fish
  12. net — for catching
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. spring — a coil
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. snap — to click
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. kid — child
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — to tease

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