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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: wind · pound · rock · perch · spring · land · stand · fan

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. wind — moving air
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pound — a weight
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spring — of water
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. land — a country
  14. rock — music
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rock — a stone
  19. land — ground
  20. spring — the season
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fan — a supporter

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