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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 116 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: pitcher · perch · ground · bass · dip · wind · tube · mug

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bass — the fish
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — a face
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. perch — the fish
  16. dip — to sink
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — a container
  20. wind — moving air
  21. wind — moving air
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. ground — a position
  24. bass — low music

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