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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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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: perch · wave · cap · wind · drill · bound · rule · pound

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wind — moving air
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cap — a lid
  6. drill — army training
  7. bound — certain
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rule — government
  10. bound — obliged
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cap — a hat
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rule — a law
  18. bound — tied together
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — a weight
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. drill — the tool

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