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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
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: rest · perch · bowl · roll · season · trunk · plane · march

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. plane — a tool
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. march — music
  12. march — the month
  13. roll — a list
  14. rest — a break
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. march — the month
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. rest — what's left
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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