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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: bay · bore · wound · cap · court · march · perch · fan

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. march — the month
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wound — an injury
  5. march — music
  6. court — of a king
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cap — a hat
  11. march — the month
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. wound — an injury
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — for sport
  16. bore — to drill
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — to tire
  19. court — of law
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. perch — the fish

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