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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: track · board · face · saw · band · sharp · perch · wound

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. band — a ring
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. saw — the tool
  11. wound — an injury
  12. track — a path
  13. board — to get on
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. board — a committee
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. band — a music group

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