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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: plane · perch · suit · drill · wind · bound · file · object

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bound — certain
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bound — tied together
  6. suit — clothes
  7. object — to protest
  8. drill — army training
  9. perch — the fish
  10. suit — to fit
  11. plane — a tool
  12. suit — in cards
  13. object — an aim
  14. bound — obliged
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a tool
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. object — a thing
  19. drill — the tool
  20. file — a document
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wind — moving air
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. drill — a practice

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