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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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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: deal · game · bowl · foot · branch · vault · perch · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. perch — the fish
  3. game — a match
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. vault — a safe
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. deal — to handle
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. game — wild animals
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. branch — a division
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. foot — a measure

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