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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wound · wind · rush · mate · pitcher · board · scale

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. board — to get on
  9. mate — a partner
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mate — a friend
  13. wind — moving air
  14. board — a committee
  15. mate — to breed
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rush — hurry
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. perch — the fish
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rush — a thrill

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