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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: object · track · fan · stem · bowl · perch · season · rush

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rush — hurry
  3. object — to protest
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. track — to keep track
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. stem — to come from
  8. perch — the fish
  9. object — an aim
  10. season — of the year
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. track — a song
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. track — a path
  21. season — in sport
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. object — a thing

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