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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: court · perch · straw · track · bank · dip · mate · craft

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. track — a path
  6. bank — for money
  7. track — a song
  8. court — of a king
  9. mate — a partner
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bank — for money
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — to breed
  16. perch — the fish
  17. bank — of a river
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a skill
  21. court — of law
  22. track — to keep track
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. dip — to sink

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