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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 120 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 · mate · face · drill · wind · content · craft · trunk

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. craft — a skill
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. face — part of the head
  11. content — happy
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — the tool
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. drill — army training
  17. face — to confront
  18. content — the amount
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. wind — moving air
  22. craft — boats
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wind — moving air

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