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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 · land · roll · rock · plane · wake · band · cue

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. perch — the fish
  3. plane — a tool
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. cue — a hint
  8. land — ground
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. band — a ring
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. roll — a list
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. roll — a cake
  19. band — a music group
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cue — for pool
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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