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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 120 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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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. game — a match
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. rush — hurry
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bear — to put up with

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