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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 · lean · mug · drill · deal · season · perch · cabinet

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. drill — a practice
  4. wound — an injury
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. mug — a cup
  7. lean — to bend
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. season — of the year
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. drill — the tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. lean — thin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. deal — to handle
  19. drill — army training
  20. mug — to rob
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. season — in sport
  24. mug — a face

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