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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 120 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: perch · bound · bear · wound · hand · bore · dip · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bound — certain
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — help
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. spell — a short time
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spell — letters
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. perch — the fish
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. dip — to sink
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bound — tied together

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