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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.

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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. court — of law
  3. bear — the animal
  4. court — of a king
  5. bound — tied together
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. bear — the animal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bound — obliged
  12. fall — to drop
  13. court — for sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fall — the season
  17. branch — a division
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. fall — to drop
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. tear — to rip
  24. branch — 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