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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: bowl · date · wound · perch · bank · season · swing · content

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. season — in sport
  12. date — the fruit
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bank — for money
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bank — of a river
  19. swing — to play on
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. perch — the fish
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. wound — an injury

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