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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: drill · perch · pop · rash · staff · can · board · tear

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rash — hasty
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. can — a tin
  8. staff — employees
  9. can — to be able to
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. rash — a series
  12. pop — soda
  13. drill — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. staff — a stick
  17. perch — the fish
  18. board — to get on
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. board — a committee
  22. pop — music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. staff — employees

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