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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: perch · clip · fine · bear · firm · present · fall · snap

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. present — a gift
  5. fine — all right
  6. fall — to drop
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. clip — for paper
  9. fall — the season
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. firm — decided
  12. present — the time now
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bear — the animal
  15. fine — high quality
  16. snap — to click
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. fall — to drop
  19. present — there
  20. firm — a company
  21. clip — a video
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. firm — steady

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