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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: bat · bore · content · wind · bulb · saw · board · perch

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. content — the amount
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. content — happy
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. perch — the fish
  11. board — a committee
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bat — the animal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. saw — the tool
  22. board — to get on
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — moving air

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