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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: land · perch · drill · mine · swing · bay · bound · cap

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bound — obliged
  6. perch — the fish
  7. drill — army training
  8. swing — in golf
  9. land — ground
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cap — a hat
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. swing — music
  14. drill — the tool
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. land — to come down
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. cap — a lid
  22. drill — a practice
  23. land — a country
  24. mine — belonging to me

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