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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: rash · perch · saw · bark · pit · sharp · wake · fan

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. saw — the tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. pit — a hole
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bark — to shout
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fan — a supporter

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