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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: perch · band · pitch · fan · club · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. club — for dancing
  6. pitch — completely
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — for golf
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. club — a group
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a music group
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. perch — for a bird

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