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

Word bank: perch · rest · fall · face · bear · chest · drill · wake

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fall — to drop
  4. drill — a practice
  5. fall — the season
  6. chest — a box
  7. rest — a break
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wake — a trail
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to confront
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. perch — the fish
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. chest — of your body
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fall — to drop
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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