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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: perch · land · foot · plane · squash · last · fan · temple

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. last — to go on
  4. squash — the sport
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. land — ground
  14. plane — a tool
  15. squash — to crush
  16. land — to come down
  17. foot — a measure
  18. last — finally
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. last — final
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. squash — the vegetable

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