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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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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: shower · bound · wave · content · track · straw · perch · lie

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. bound — obliged
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. track — a path
  6. shower — rain
  7. content — happy
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. track — a song
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bound — certain
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bound — tied together
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lie — to recline
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. track — to keep track
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. content — the amount

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