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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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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. hand — help
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. wake — a trail
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bound — obliged
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ground — a position
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ground — crushed
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. mine — for digging
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. ground — the earth
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. bound — tied together
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bound — certain
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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