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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 120 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 · arm · wound · wind · stem · fine · drill · rush

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stem — to come from
  7. drill — army training
  8. fine — all right
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. perch — the fish
  12. fine — high quality
  13. rush — hurry
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wound — an injury
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. wound — an injury

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