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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: perch · march · season · bark · can · hand · saw · stand

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. season — in sport
  6. hand — help
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. march — music
  10. stand — to bear
  11. perch — the fish
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. season — of the year
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. can — a tin
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bark — to shout
  22. can — to be able to
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bark — of a tree

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