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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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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: wound · face · perch · drill · bore · roll · pop · leaves

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. roll — a cake
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bore — to tire
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. face — part of the head
  9. pop — soda
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. pop — music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bore — to drill
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. face — to confront
  22. roll — a list
  23. face — to point toward
  24. pop — to visit

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