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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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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: wind · row · perch · board · fine · trunk · firm · kick

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. row — a line
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. row — to paddle
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. firm — steady
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fine — all right
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. firm — a company
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. board — a committee
  23. firm — decided
  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