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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 116 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: board · perch · dip · pound · bat · wind · bear · drill

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bat — the animal
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. drill — army training
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bear — the animal
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. drill — the tool
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bear — the animal

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