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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · jam · present · saw · bulb · land · season · pitcher

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — of the year
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bulb — for light
  9. saw — the tool
  10. land — ground
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. season — in sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. saw — the tool
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. present — there
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. land — a country
  22. present — a gift
  23. land — to come down
  24. bulb — of a plant

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