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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. row — to paddle
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bank — of a river
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bank — for money
  14. perch — the fish
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. dip — to sink
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. bank — for money
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. row — a line
  24. perch — for a bird

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