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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: bulb · perch · stand · file · wound · cap · board · temple

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. board — a committee
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. cap — a hat
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — to get on
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. stand — to bear
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cap — of ice
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. bulb — for light
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. cap — a lid
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. bulb — for light

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