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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · kick · race · bound · wound · plane · land · rush

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bound — tied together
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. race — the arms race
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bound — certain
  9. race — humankind
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. race — a contest
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. land — a country
  16. rush — hurry
  17. plane — a tool
  18. perch — the fish
  19. kick — in football
  20. wound — an injury
  21. land — to come down
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. land — ground
  24. plane — in geometry

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