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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. tube — a container
  5. clip — a video
  6. wound — an injury
  7. content — the amount
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bound — tied together
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. clip — for paper
  12. perch — the fish
  13. row — a line
  14. content — happy
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bound — certain
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bound — obliged

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