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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: wound · wake · perch · tube · foot · rush · pitch · court

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. court — of a king
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. court — for sport
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. tube — a container
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. court — of law
  10. foot — a measure
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. tube — the underground
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wake — a trail
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pitch — completely
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. tube — in a tire

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