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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · mine · band · board · foot · wound · bulb · file

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. foot — a measure
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wound — an injury
  6. band — a ring
  7. bulb — for light
  8. band — a music group
  9. board — a committee
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. board — to get on
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bulb — for light
  23. file — a document
  24. board — a flat piece

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