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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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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: perch · mine · bank · date · season · squash · bowl · snap

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bank — for money
  4. mine — for digging
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. season — in sport
  18. date — the fruit
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. season — of the year
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. snap — to click

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