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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: saw · wind · perch · cell · racket · bound · bulb · spell

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — magic
  4. bound — tied together
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bulb — for light
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bound — obliged
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spell — letters
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cell — a phone
  21. perch — the fish
  22. bulb — for light
  23. wind — moving air
  24. cell — in a prison

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