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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: content · bound · land · bark · wound · perch · bay · cue

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. land — a country
  3. bound — tied together
  4. cue — a hint
  5. land — to come down
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bound — certain
  10. land — ground
  11. content — the amount
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cue — for pool
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. perch — the fish
  17. cue — a signal
  18. content — happy
  19. bound — obliged
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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