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

Word bank: perch · last · cell · bore · key · pound

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bore — to tire
  3. last — finally
  4. cell — in biology
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. last — final
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. key — in music
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cell — a phone
  16. last — to go on
  17. key — the most important part
  18. key — for a lock

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