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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. perch — the fish
  4. content — happy
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bound — tied together
  9. mark — a grade
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bound — certain
  12. mark — a trace
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. content — the amount
  17. bass — low music
  18. land — a country
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bark — to shout
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mark — to pay attention

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