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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: perch · pound · wind · bark · ball · race · row · temple

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. race — the arms race
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. ball — a great time
  9. row — a line
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — to paddle
  12. race — a contest
  13. bark — to shout
  14. perch — the fish
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. race — humankind
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pound — a weight
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. row — a quarrel

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