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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.

Make a worksheet

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: wake · fan · mine · bark · dip · perch · bowl · court

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. court — of law
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. court — for sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mine — for digging
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. dip — to sink
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bark — to shout
  20. court — of a king
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. perch — for a bird

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