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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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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: key · perch · bound · pit · dip · straw · fan · fall

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. fall — the season
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bound — obliged
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. perch — the fish
  10. dip — to sink
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bound — certain
  13. pit — in a race
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fall — to drop
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bound — tied together
  21. key — the most important part
  22. pit — a hole
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. key — in music

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