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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bass — low music
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bound — obliged
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. season — of the year
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bound — certain
  17. mark — a trace
  18. season — in sport
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bore — to tire
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. branch — a division
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mark — a grade

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