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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stock — shares
  3. bound — certain
  4. bank — of a river
  5. roll — a cake
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. roll — a list
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — a match
  11. object — to protest
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bank — for money
  14. object — an aim
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. stock — goods
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bound — tied together
  21. object — a thing
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pound — for dogs
  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