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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · perch · track · bound · temple · mug · calf · row

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mug — a cup
  5. row — a line
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. bound — tied together
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. track — a path
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. track — a song
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. perch — the fish
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. row — to paddle
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — certain
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mug — to rob

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