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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: perch · band · tube · squash · pitcher · current · court · leaves

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. court — of a king
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. band — a ring
  6. current — happening now
  7. squash — the sport
  8. current — electric
  9. perch — the fish
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. current — of water
  14. court — of law
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. court — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — to crush
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. band — a music group
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. leaves — lets stay

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