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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: cell · pound · mouse · face · perch · ball · drill · lean

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. drill — army training
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. ball — a great time
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pound — a weight
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cell — in biology
  20. face — to confront
  21. cell — a phone
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. lean — thin
  24. cell — in a prison

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