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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: rash · roll · bear · fork · perch · tear · ball · club

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. roll — a list
  3. club — for dancing
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. ball — a great time
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. club — for golf
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. roll — a cake
  11. ball — a dance
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. rash — a series
  17. fork — in a road
  18. club — a group
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. tear — from crying
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bear — the animal

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