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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: present · staff · ground · board · wind · bear · perch · march

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. board — to get on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. present — the time now
  5. ground — crushed
  6. march — the month
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. board — a committee
  9. wind — moving air
  10. present — a gift
  11. present — there
  12. march — music
  13. perch — the fish
  14. ground — a position
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bear — the animal
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bear — the animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. staff — employees
  21. march — the month
  22. wind — moving air
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. staff — employees

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