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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: fan · kick · last · perch · mark · bank · court · lash

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. last — final
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. kick — in football
  5. perch — the fish
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bank — for money
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mark — a trace
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a grade
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — of a king
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. court — for sport
  18. last — to go on
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — of a river
  21. court — of law
  22. last — finally
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fan — to cool the air

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