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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
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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 · patient · spell · net · mouse · trunk · bowl · ground

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. spell — letters
  13. ground — the earth
  14. spell — magic
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. spell — a short time
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. net — after costs
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bowl — a football final

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