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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: fan · roll · hide · lash · perch · court · bound · firm

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bound — certain
  7. court — for sport
  8. roll — a cake
  9. roll — a list
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. court — of a king
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. firm — decided
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. court — of law
  20. perch — the fish
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. firm — a company
  24. hide — animal skin

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