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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 120 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: fall · wave · drill · kid · pop · fork · staff · perch

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fall — to drop
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pop — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. drill — army training
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. staff — a stick
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — to visit
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. staff — employees

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