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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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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: net · calf · mark · perch · roll · straw · pitcher · row

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. row — a line
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. net — for catching
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. net — after costs
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. roll — a list
  17. net — in sport
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. row — to paddle
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. perch — the fish

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