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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: roll · perch · lie · season · bound · bear · clip · wound

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. perch — the fish
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bear — the animal
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wound — an injury
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bound — tied together
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bound — certain
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bound — obliged
  23. clip — a video
  24. lie — to recline

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