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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: hide · bound · straw · fork · nail · tear · perch · mine

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bound — tied together
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. perch — the fish
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tear — from crying
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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