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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. club — for dancing
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — army training
  5. fork — in a road
  6. roll — a cake
  7. bank — for money
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bank — of a river
  10. roll — a list
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. bank — for money
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. pound — a weight
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. club — for golf
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. club — a group

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