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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.

Make a worksheet

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: tube · wound · fan · bowl · temple · mine · perch · net

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — in sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. net — for catching
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. net — after costs
  15. perch — the fish
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tube — a container
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bowl — a dish

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