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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
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: perch · mark · object · land · fork · mine · row · bat

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mark — a trace
  4. land — ground
  5. row — a line
  6. perch — the fish
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. land — a country
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mine — for digging
  13. object — to protest
  14. mark — a grade
  15. land — to come down
  16. object — a thing
  17. bat — the animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. object — an aim

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