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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: season · lie · wound · perch · hide · wind · root · march

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. root — of a word
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lie — to recline
  5. march — the month
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. march — music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. wound — an injury
  10. root — the cause
  11. root — of a plant
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. season — of the year
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. march — the month
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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