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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: fall · pop · bound · track · wake · swing · perch · game

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. track — a path
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bound — certain
  6. pop — to visit
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. track — a song
  13. game — a match
  14. pop — music
  15. bound — obliged
  16. track — to keep track
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bound — tied together
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. swing — in golf
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pop — soda

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