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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: perch · lean · present · fork · shower · board · pound · row

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pound — a weight
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lean — to bend
  7. board — to get on
  8. lean — thin
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fork — in a road
  11. shower — rain
  12. present — there
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. board — a committee
  17. shower — to wash
  18. row — a line
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. row — to paddle
  24. perch — for a bird

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