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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bound — certain
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cap — a hat
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bore — to tire
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bound — tied together
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cap — a lid
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. chest — a box
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. rush — hurry
  24. trunk — 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