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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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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: mouse · cap · file · perch · march · roll · bear · pound

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. roll — a list
  3. march — the month
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bear — the animal
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. file — a document
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. file — a tool
  17. cap — a lid
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. march — music
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — the fish
  23. cap — of ice
  24. march — the month

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