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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: chest · bowl · bore · arm · board · perch · mine · land

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. land — to come down
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mine — for digging
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. board — a committee
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. board — to get on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. land — a country
  19. chest — of your body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bore — to drill
  22. land — ground
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bore — to tire

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