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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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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: bound · perch · mate · cell · pop · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bound — certain
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pop — music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bound — obliged
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bound — tied together
  15. cell — in biology
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mate — to breed
  18. fork — to eat 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