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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: cell · perch · bound · shower · branch · wound · rock · last

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. last — finally
  3. bound — obliged
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bound — certain
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cell — in biology
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. last — to go on
  11. rock — a stone
  12. shower — rain
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. last — final
  15. wound — an injury
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. shower — to wash
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. rock — music
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bound — tied together
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cell — a phone

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