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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bowl · roll · perch · cabinet · snap · date · field · bound

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bound — obliged
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bound — tied together
  7. snap — to click
  8. bound — certain
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. roll — a cake
  17. perch — the fish
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. field — farmland

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