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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 116 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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cue — a hint
  10. wind — moving air
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cue — a signal
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — for digging
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bound — obliged
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cue — for pool
  22. bound — certain
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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