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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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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: rule · wound · straw · vault · hand · perch · wake · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. hand — help
  24. wake — a trail

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