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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
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 · bowl · band · vault · pop · current · hand · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. hand — help
  4. band — a ring
  5. current — electric
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. vault — a safe
  14. band — a music group
  15. current — happening now
  16. pop — music
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — to visit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pop — soda
  22. current — of water
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bowl — a football final

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