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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 116 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: press · lash · cap · tear · perch · chair · club · firm

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. club — for golf
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. firm — steady
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. press — to push
  10. cap — a hat
  11. firm — decided
  12. tear — to rip
  13. club — for dancing
  14. firm — a company
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chair — a leader
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. club — a group
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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