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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. perch — the fish
  3. track — a path
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. band — a ring
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. rock — a stone
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. root — of a plant
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. rock — music
  14. root — of a word
  15. track — a song
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bore — to drill
  19. band — a music group
  20. bat — the animal
  21. root — the cause
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bore — to tire

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