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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: pitcher · leaves · roll · wake · season · bowl · trunk · spring

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. spring — the season
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. wake — a trail
  11. season — in sport
  12. spring — of water
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. spring — a coil
  18. season — of the year
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. roll — a list
  24. leaves — of a tree

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