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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: perch · club · pop · object · leaves · fan · bark · season

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. club — for golf
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — an aim
  5. club — for dancing
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pop — to visit
  9. club — a group
  10. pop — music
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. season — of the year
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. object — a thing
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — in sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  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