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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · bound · craft · straw · bear · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bound — certain
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — the animal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. perch — the fish
  18. kick — in football

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