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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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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: wound · fork · jam · pitcher · perch · straw · hand · bear

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wound — an injury
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. hand — help
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wound — an injury

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