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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: bowl · press · mouse · perch · wave · march · net · mine

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. net — in sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. net — after costs
  6. mine — for digging
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. press — to push
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. march — music
  14. net — for catching
  15. perch — the fish
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. march — the month
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. press — newspapers
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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