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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: wind · face · bay · mug · can · rest · perch · drill

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. can — a tin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mug — a cup
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. mug — a face
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rest — what's left
  15. face — to confront
  16. wind — moving air
  17. can — to be able to
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. can — a tin
  20. wind — moving air
  21. perch — the fish
  22. rest — a break
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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