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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 116 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 · tube · pass · squash · cabinet · craft · hand · pitcher

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the sport
  6. tube — a container
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. craft — boats
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. craft — a skill
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. perch — the fish
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pass — a permit
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. tube — the underground
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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