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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 · mouse · perch · wound · bark · fall · stand · lash

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wound — an injury
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fall — the season
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fall — to drop
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. fall — to drop
  21. wound — an injury
  22. plane — a tool
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. plane — in geometry

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