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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · stand · drill · hide · bound · spring · bulb · perch

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. spring — the season
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stand — to bear
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bound — obliged
  11. spring — a coil
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bound — tied together
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bound — certain
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. spring — of water
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — to turn a key

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