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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: saw · leaves · cell · ball · calf · cold · land · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. land — a country
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — a phone
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. ball — a great time
  8. perch — the fish
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. saw — the tool
  17. land — ground
  18. land — to come down
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  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