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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. object — to protest
  3. swing — to play on
  4. object — an aim
  5. band — a music group
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bound — certain
  8. swing — in golf
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. track — a song
  12. bound — tied together
  13. swing — music
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. perch — the fish
  17. object — a thing
  18. track — a path
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. band — a ring
  22. bound — obliged
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. track — to keep track

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