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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — moving air
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rock — a stone
  9. tube — a container
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. board — a committee
  12. wound — an injury
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. board — to get on
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rush — hurry
  18. wind — moving air
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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