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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: cap · face · perch · pound · stand · bulb · bark · wind

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. face — to confront
  6. stand — to bear
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pound — a weight
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. face — part of the head
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. cap — a lid
  24. stand — on your feet

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