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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 120 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
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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: wound · net · mark · chest · perch · spell · bowl · club

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. mark — a trace
  6. net — after costs
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — a box
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. mark — a grade
  12. chest — of your body
  13. club — a group
  14. wound — an injury
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wound — an injury
  17. perch — the fish
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. club — for golf
  21. net — for catching
  22. spell — letters
  23. net — in sport
  24. spell — magic

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