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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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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 · stick · arm · staff · rush · net · perch · lean

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. lean — to bend
  4. staff — a stick
  5. net — after costs
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. net — for catching
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. ground — crushed
  13. lean — thin
  14. staff — employees
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. perch — the fish
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. net — in sport
  19. staff — employees
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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