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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: bowl · squash · hand · fall · plane · season · pitcher · perch

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. hand — help
  4. fall — to drop
  5. squash — the sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. hand — in cards
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. perch — the fish
  10. fall — the season
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. plane — a tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. season — of the year
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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