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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
468
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 · straw · plane · rush · cold · coach · bowl · hide

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cold — an illness
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. plane — a tool
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rush — hurry
  20. perch — the fish
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. perch — for a bird

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