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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: stand · bear · mark · perch · plane · cold · nail · snap

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stand — to bear
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bear — the animal
  14. snap — to click
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bear — the animal
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mark — a grade
  20. plane — a tool
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cold — an illness
  24. nail — for a hammer

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