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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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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: last · wind · leaves · perch · pound · bark · squash · land

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. wind — moving air
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. squash — the sport
  12. last — finally
  13. last — final
  14. pound — a weight
  15. last — to go on
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — a country
  21. wind — moving air
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. land — ground

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