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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · season · club · press · bark · lean

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  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. bark — to shout
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. club — for golf
  5. lean — to bend
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. season — of the year
  8. club — a group
  9. mine — for digging
  10. press — to push
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. press — newspapers
  14. perch — the fish
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. press — a publisher
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — thin
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. season — in sport
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lean — to rest against
  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