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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · rest · mark · saw · tube · lash · perch · court

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. mark — a grade
  3. spell — letters
  4. rest — a break
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — of law
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. court — of a king
  13. perch — the fish
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. court — for sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mark — a trace
  22. spell — magic
  23. tube — a container
  24. spell — a short time

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