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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · rash · perch · stick · cell · can · straw · sharp

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. rash — hasty
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rash — a series
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. ground — a position
  19. can — a tin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. straw — a straw man

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