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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: chair · bass · club · band · patient · pitcher · perch · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bass — low music
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bass — the fish
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. band — a ring
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. perch — the fish
  11. club — a group
  12. band — a music group
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. club — for dancing
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. club — for golf
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — a leader
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. perch — for a bird

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