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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: perch · rock · wave · fall · kick · race

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. race — humankind
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. race — the arms race
  16. kick — in football
  17. race — a contest
  18. perch — for a bird

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