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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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468
Word bank
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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kick — in football
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. band — a music group
  7. bound — certain
  8. tear — to rip
  9. band — a ring
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bound — tied together
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. tear — from crying
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. bound — obliged
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — from crying
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. key — in music
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. key — for a lock

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