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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: prune · perch · bowl · net · calf · stock · roll · shower

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stock — goods
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. roll — a list
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. net — after costs
  11. shower — rain
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. net — in sport
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. roll — a cake
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stock — shares
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. prune — to trim
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. shower — to wash
  23. net — for catching
  24. prune — to trim

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