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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.

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: leaves · roll · perch · calf · mine · suit · jam · cold

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. suit — to fit
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. cold — an illness
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. roll — a cake
  10. mine — for digging
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. suit — clothes
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cold — not warm
  20. roll — a list
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. mine — belonging to me

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