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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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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: bound · calf · fall · row · mine · kid · perch · club

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bound — certain
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bound — obliged
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fall — to drop
  12. row — a line
  13. club — for golf
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. kid — child
  24. bound — tied together

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