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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 120 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: ground · firm · last · pass · wind · saw · stem · perch

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ground — a position
  3. stem — to come from
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — a company
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pass — a permit
  15. last — final
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. firm — decided
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wind — moving air
  20. last — finally
  21. ground — crushed
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — to go on
  24. wind — to turn a key

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