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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: wake · bound · club · stick · plane · lie · court · perch

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bound — tied together
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. club — for golf
  9. plane — a tool
  10. bound — certain
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. club — a group
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — of law
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. court — for sport
  21. club — for dancing
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lie — to recline
  24. plane — in geometry

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