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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: wake · saw · board · wave · ruler · wind · face · perch

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. face — to confront
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. saw — the tool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wind — moving air
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. face — part of the head
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wind — moving air
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. wake — a trail

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