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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: bear · pitcher · cold · bowl · last · calf · perch · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. perch — the fish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. last — to go on
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bear — the animal
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cold — not warm
  14. last — finally
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. bear — the animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. last — 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