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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: bore · kid · perch · fork · chest · board · wave · march

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. march — the month
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. march — music
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. chest — of your body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. board — to get on
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. fork — in a road
  15. board — a committee
  16. kid — child
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. march — the month
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chest — a box
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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