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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: row · pit · wax · bound · track · season · ruler · perch

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bound — certain
  3. track — a song
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. track — a path
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pit — in a race
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bound — tied together
  15. row — a line
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. season — of the year
  18. bound — obliged
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. row — to paddle
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pit — a hole

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