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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: squash · bowl · leaves · rest · jam · clip · date · perch

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. date — the fruit
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. rest — what's left
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. rest — what's left
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rest — a break
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. squash — the sport
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. clip — a video
  20. perch — the fish
  21. clip — to cut
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. squash — to crush
  24. jam — a tight spot

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