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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · spell · bat · perch · craft · stand · march · wound

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bat — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — a stone
  7. march — the month
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. spell — magic
  12. stand — to bear
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — the fish
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. craft — boats
  23. spell — letters
  24. march — music

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