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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bear — the animal
  6. spring — a coil
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — music
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. spring — of water
  11. bound — obliged
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bound — certain
  16. wound — an injury
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. rush — hurry
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. spring — the season

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