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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: cell · pitcher · lie · perch · roll · safe · wind · face

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. perch — the fish
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. lie — to recline
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. roll — a list
  15. wind — moving air
  16. face — to confront
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cell — in biology
  23. roll — a cake
  24. perch — for a bird

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