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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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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: club · perch · fall · tube · firm · bore · wind · bark

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. perch — the fish
  4. firm — decided
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — a container
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bore — to tire
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. firm — steady
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wind — moving air
  19. club — for golf
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fall — the season
  23. firm — a company
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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