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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 · ball · wake · saw · season · object · net · bark

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. season — of the year
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bark — to shout
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. net — for catching
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — a thing
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. ball — a great time
  22. object — to protest
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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