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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 · deal · rest · perch · can · chest · wake · season

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. can — to be able to
  2. perch — the fish
  3. deal — to handle
  4. wake — a trail
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rest — a break
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. can — a tin
  15. rest — what's left
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. season — in sport
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. season — of the year
  22. wind — moving air
  23. season — to add flavour
  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