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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 120 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 · fan · perch · wound · cue · kid · root · pit

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. root — the cause
  4. wound — an injury
  5. cue — a hint
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. kid — child
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cue — for pool
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. root — of a word
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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