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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 · bark · mine · club · roll · season · row · date

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. roll — a list
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. club — for golf
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bark — to shout
  16. club — a group
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. row — to paddle
  19. roll — a cake
  20. club — for dancing
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. season — of the year
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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