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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: tube · spell · rash · mouse · chest · branch · perch · pitcher

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. tube — the underground
  4. chest — a box
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. branch — a division
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rash — a series
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — hasty
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. spell — magic
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. spell — letters

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