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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: roll · perch · ball · tube · mark · season · hand · stem

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. mark — a grade
  6. hand — in cards
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. season — in sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. tube — the underground
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. hand — help
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. season — of the year
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tube — a container
  22. ball — a dance
  23. mark — a trace
  24. stem — to come from

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