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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: drill · mine · clip · perch · mate · pound · current · safe

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. current — happening now
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. drill — the tool
  7. clip — a video
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. clip — to cut
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mine — for digging
  12. current — electric
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. perch — the fish
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. mate — a partner
  19. current — of water
  20. mate — a friend
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. clip — for paper
  23. drill — army training
  24. mate — to breed

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