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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
468
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: prune · pitcher · sharp · perch · saw · snap · key · band

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. sharp — clever
  3. snap — to click
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. prune — to trim
  8. key — the most important part
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a music group
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. key — for a lock
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. prune — to trim
  19. perch — the fish
  20. saw — the tool
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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