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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 · jam · tear · staff · wind · pound

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. tear — from crying
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wind — moving air
  5. perch — the fish
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. staff — employees
  9. pound — a weight
  10. staff — employees
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wind — moving air
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. tear — to rip
  18. jam — to spread on bread

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