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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: pitcher · pound · clip · toast · perch · jam · drill · tear

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. drill — a practice
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. pound — a weight
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. clip — a video
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. perch — the fish
  16. toast — bread
  17. tear — from crying
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tear — from crying
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. clip — for paper
  23. tear — to rip
  24. clip — to cut

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