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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: perch · bowl · stick · fine · spell · wake · chair · dip

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fine — high quality
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. spell — letters
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spell — a short time
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. fine — all right
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. perch — the fish
  18. wake — a trail
  19. spell — magic
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chair — a leader
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. bowl — a dish

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