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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: bound · bowl · cue · bore · last · fork · perch · wake

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cue — a hint
  4. cue — a signal
  5. bore — to drill
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bound — tied together
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bound — obliged
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. bound — certain
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — final
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. fork — in a road
  20. last — finally
  21. bore — to tire
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cue — for pool

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