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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: bowl · spring · hide · perch · squash · row · pitch · lean

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. spring — of water
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. squash — to crush
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. lean — thin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. row — a line
  10. spring — the season
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spring — a coil
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. perch — the fish
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. row — to paddle
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. squash — the sport

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