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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 116 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: lie · bound · ground · wake · fall · perch · bank · pitcher

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — the season
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fall — to drop
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bound — tied together
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ground — the earth
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. bound — certain
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bound — obliged
  20. ground — a position
  21. lie — to recline
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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