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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
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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: jam · bowl · wind · leaves · drill · fine · perch · pop

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. drill — a practice
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. drill — the tool
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pop — music
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fine — all right
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. perch — the fish
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. drill — army training
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. wind — moving air
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. fine — high quality
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wind — moving air
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pop — soda

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