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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: rash · spring · present · stand · nail · calf · bat · perch

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stand — to bear
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. present — a gift
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. perch — the fish
  17. present — the time now
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. spring — the season
  21. present — there
  22. spring — of water
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. calf — a young animal

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