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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: perch · hide · fine · mine · bore · wind · bank · tube

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. mine — for digging
  4. fine — all right
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bank — of a river
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wind — moving air
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. tube — a container
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bore — to tire
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bank — for money

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