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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: cap · rash · board · bank · wound · perch · wind · sharp

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. sharp — clever
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. cap — of ice
  7. rash — hasty
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a committee
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wound — an injury
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rash — a series
  17. cap — a hat
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cap — a lid
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bank — for money
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. bank — for money

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