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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — a container
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bound — certain
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rush — hurry
  23. wound — an injury
  24. calf — a young animal

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