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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 116 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: bark · bound · perch · sharp · wound · net · pop · lie

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pop — music
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pop — soda
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bark — to shout
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pop — to visit
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bound — certain
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — obliged

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