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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 120 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: calf · board · rush · clip · firm · perch · leaves · march

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. clip — for paper
  4. march — music
  5. board — a committee
  6. firm — steady
  7. march — the month
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. clip — a video
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. march — the month
  15. perch — the fish
  16. clip — to cut
  17. rush — hurry
  18. firm — a company
  19. board — to get on
  20. firm — decided
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — of a tree

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