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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: face · perch · clip · foot · racket · stem · coach · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. bound — certain
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bound — tied together
  6. face — part of the head
  7. perch — the fish
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. clip — for paper
  10. face — to confront
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. foot — a measure
  18. face — to point toward
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. clip — to cut
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. clip — a video

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