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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lie · perch · court · last · bound · track · patient · pound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. perch — the fish
  3. track — a path
  4. bound — certain
  5. court — of law
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. last — to go on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. court — for sport
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lie — to recline
  17. last — finally
  18. track — to keep track
  19. court — of a king
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a song
  24. last — final

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