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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: object · wind · bore · mine · lash · saw · cap · perch

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wind — moving air
  3. object — to protest
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cap — a lid
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. object — a thing
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. object — an aim
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bore — to drill
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. mine — for digging
  24. perch — for a bird

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