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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: wound · swing · lie · fork · perch · tube · bay · mate

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. swing — in golf
  6. lie — to recline
  7. tube — a container
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. mate — a partner
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wound — an injury
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. wound — an injury
  24. tube — the underground

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