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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: straw · hide · rock · wound · board · perch · mate · march

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wound — an injury
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — a partner
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rock — music
  10. board — to get on
  11. march — the month
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. board — a committee
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. rock — a stone
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mate — a friend
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mate — to breed

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