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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: perch · wave · rule · bound · bear · tear · temple · key

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rule — a law
  7. tear — from crying
  8. key — for a lock
  9. perch — the fish
  10. bound — tied together
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. key — the most important part
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rule — government
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bound — certain
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bear — the animal
  24. key — in music

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