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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 are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — certain
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bulb — for light
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. last — final
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bulb — for light
  19. last — to go on
  20. dip — to sink
  21. wound — an injury
  22. last — finally
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — a jug

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