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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 120 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: rush · saw · perch · leaves · plane · bowl · trunk · last

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. last — finally
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. last — to go on
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. plane — a tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — hurry
  24. saw — the tool

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