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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — the fish
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bound — certain
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rock — music
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rock — a stone
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bound — obliged
  19. shower — rain
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wake — a trail
  24. rock — to move gently

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