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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 116 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: rock · net · plane · season · perch · wake · row · bark

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. perch — the fish
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. row — to paddle
  12. plane — a tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. net — for catching
  15. rock — a stone
  16. net — in sport
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rock — music
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bark — to shout
  22. row — a line
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. net — after costs

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