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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: bear · perch · current · rash · ball · roll · pop · tube

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. rash — a series
  7. pop — soda
  8. current — of water
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bear — the animal
  12. current — electric
  13. pop — music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pop — to visit
  18. ball — a dance
  19. tube — the underground
  20. roll — a list
  21. current — happening now
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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