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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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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: rock · perch · cell · march · bear · roll · staff · deal

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bear — the animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rock — music
  8. roll — a cake
  9. cell — in biology
  10. march — the month
  11. roll — a list
  12. staff — a stick
  13. rock — a stone
  14. march — the month
  15. bear — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. staff — employees
  19. march — music
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. deal — to handle
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. deal — a big deal

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