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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: lie · club · bark · pitch · bowl · perch · clip · leaves

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. club — for golf
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitch — completely
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. club — a group
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. perch — the fish
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. clip — a video
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. clip — for paper
  24. lie — to recline

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