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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.

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: wind · season · staff · foot · can · present · drill · perch

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. staff — a stick
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. drill — the tool
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. drill — a practice
  7. can — a tin
  8. perch — the fish
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. present — there
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. season — in sport
  13. drill — army training
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. wind — moving air
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. staff — employees
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. season — of the year
  23. staff — employees
  24. can — to be able to

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