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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 124 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. land — a country
  3. perch — the fish
  4. bound — tied together
  5. shower — to wash
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. shower — rain
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bank — of a river
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. root — the cause
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. bank — for money
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pound — a weight
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bank — for money
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. root — of a plant
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. root — of a word

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