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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 120 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: leaves · cap · straw · wound · saw · mine · perch · bore

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cap — a hat
  5. perch — the fish
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wound — an injury
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bore — to tire
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mine — for digging
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. cap — a lid
  24. leaves — of a tree

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