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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: field · trunk · saw · perch · wake · object · bank · bowl

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. field — farmland
  3. bank — of a river
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. perch — the fish
  8. object — to protest
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. object — an aim
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bank — for money
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. field — for sport
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. object — a thing
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bank — for money

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