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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: wind · bore · bay · pound · content · rash · perch · jam

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wind — moving air
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. bore — to drill
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. content — the amount
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bore — to tire
  14. content — happy
  15. perch — the fish
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rash — a series

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