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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: lean · roll · rule · arm · perch · present · file · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. present — a gift
  7. lean — thin
  8. roll — a list
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bore — to tire
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. lean — to bend
  16. file — a line of people
  17. perch — the fish
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — a law
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a document
  24. roll — a cake

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