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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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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: bear · court · lie · pop · pound · perch · wave · kid

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pop — soda
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kid — child
  11. perch — the fish
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pop — music
  15. court — of a king
  16. kid — to tease
  17. pop — to visit
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lie — to recline
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wave — of the sea

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