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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: object · net · wind · wound · lie · file · pass · perch

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. lie — to recline
  6. net — after costs
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. net — in sport
  10. file — a document
  11. object — a thing
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. object — to protest
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. file — a line of people
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wind — moving air
  21. object — an aim
  22. net — for catching
  23. file — a tool
  24. perch — the fish

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