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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: stand · face · bound · date · net · perch · stick · shower

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. net — in sport
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. face — to confront
  5. net — after costs
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bound — certain
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bound — tied together
  10. perch — the fish
  11. stand — to bear
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. face — to point toward
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. face — part of the head
  18. net — for catching
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. date — the fruit
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. shower — rain

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