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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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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 · kid · bound · pit · pound · fall · stem · chest

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fall — the season
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. stem — to come from
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pit — a hole
  15. perch — the fish
  16. chest — a box
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. kid — child
  20. bound — certain
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pound — a weight
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. pit — in a race

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