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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: drill · cap · wave · dip · wind · mouse · rash · perch

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. cap — a lid
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. drill — a practice
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. drill — army training
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rash — a series
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. perch — the fish
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wind — moving air
  21. dip — to sink
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. rash — hasty
  24. cap — a hat

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