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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: march · perch · row · bore · rock · lean · wave · kick

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rock — music
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. march — the month
  6. bore — to tire
  7. march — the month
  8. lean — to bend
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. rock — a stone
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. march — music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lean — thin
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to drill
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. row — a line
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. perch — the fish
  24. kick — in football

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