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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: mark · fork · last · perch · squash · mug · pound · rash

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. last — to go on
  4. squash — to crush
  5. rash — hasty
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. mark — a trace
  10. perch — the fish
  11. squash — the sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mug — a face
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pound — a weight
  19. last — finally
  20. rash — a series
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. fork — in a road
  24. last — final

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