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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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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 · wake · wind · face · pitch · march · racket · trunk

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. march — the month
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. perch — the fish
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. march — music
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. march — the month
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wake — a trail
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. wind — moving air
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. face — part of the head
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitch — completely
  24. racket — for tennis

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