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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: wound · band · perch · rush · bat · suit · bowl · leaves

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. band — a ring
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. band — a music group
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rush — hurry
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. perch — the fish
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — to fit
  24. rush — a thrill

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