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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 120 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: coach · perch · rush · bowl · bark · hand · object · foot

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — to shout
  4. object — to protest
  5. foot — a measure
  6. rush — hurry
  7. object — an aim
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. hand — help
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. object — a thing
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — in cards
  24. coach — a trainer

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