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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: wave · perch · bark · board · ruler · court · band · sharp

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. band — a ring
  4. sharp — clever
  5. board — a committee
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. court — of a king
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. court — of law
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. court — for sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. band — a music group
  24. perch — for a bird

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