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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: perch · firm · bound · row · bore · hand · lash · content

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bound — certain
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. row — to paddle
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bore — to drill
  13. hand — help
  14. content — the amount
  15. bound — tied together
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. hand — in cards
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bore — to tire
  20. row — a line
  21. firm — decided
  22. firm — a company
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. firm — steady

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