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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: tube · bulb · rock · saw · wake · calf · perch · pitcher

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rock — music
  5. perch — the fish
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bulb — for light
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rock — a stone
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — a trail
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bulb — for light
  23. saw — the tool
  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