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

Word bank: bound · fall · ground · bore · swing · fine · perch · season

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ground — the earth
  4. swing — music
  5. bore — to tire
  6. ground — crushed
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bore — to drill
  11. fine — all right
  12. season — of the year
  13. swing — in golf
  14. season — in sport
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. ground — a position
  17. perch — the fish
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — certain
  20. swing — to play on
  21. bound — obliged
  22. fall — the season
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — for a bird

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