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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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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: mug · wave · board · ground · land · cold · perch · rush

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — to get on
  4. mug — to rob
  5. perch — the fish
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. land — ground
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. land — a country
  11. board — a committee
  12. land — to come down
  13. ground — crushed
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. ground — a position
  17. mug — a face
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cold — an illness
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rush — a thrill

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