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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 · present · court · drill · wound · vault · fan · bear

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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 — an injury
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. drill — the tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. drill — army training
  9. court — of a king
  10. bear — the animal
  11. present — the time now
  12. vault — a safe
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. present — there
  17. bear — the animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. perch — the fish
  21. present — a gift
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — of law
  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