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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 · deal · board · leaves · lean · wind · shower · present

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. lean — to bend
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. board — a committee
  6. perch — the fish
  7. shower — to wash
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wind — moving air
  10. present — a gift
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. lean — thin
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. present — the time now
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. present — there
  20. board — to get on
  21. shower — rain
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wind — moving air
  24. board — a flat piece

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