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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 116 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: present · wave · tube · field · wound · perch · kid · bore

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. present — a gift
  11. field — farmland
  12. bore — to drill
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. present — the time now
  18. field — a subject
  19. bore — to tire
  20. field — for sport
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tube — the underground
  23. present — there
  24. kid — child

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