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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: perch · hide · wake · land · saw · fine · bound · spell

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. land — to come down
  3. spell — letters
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. land — a country
  6. bound — certain
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spell — magic
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. perch — the fish
  17. spell — a short time
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. bound — tied together
  24. hide — to keep secret

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