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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. fall — to drop
  3. perch — the fish
  4. prune — to trim
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. bound — certain
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. present — a gift
  11. prune — to trim
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. fall — the season
  16. present — the time now
  17. bound — tied together
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fall — to drop
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. present — there

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