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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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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 · wind · land · cabinet · perch · foot · face · band

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. land — to come down
  8. face — part of the head
  9. band — a music group
  10. foot — a measure
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. face — to point toward
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. drill — army training
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wind — moving air
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — to confront
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cabinet — ministers

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