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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 116 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: spell · dip · lie · hide · bowl · perch · fork · clip

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fork — in a road
  3. perch — the fish
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. lie — to recline
  14. clip — to cut
  15. spell — magic
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — a video
  20. spell — letters
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. lie — an untruth

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