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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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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: season · rest · bound · tube · stick · pitch · fall · perch

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rest — what's left
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bound — certain
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. fall — to drop
  9. tube — a container
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bound — tied together
  14. rest — what's left
  15. season — in sport
  16. bound — obliged
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. fall — to drop
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. rest — a break
  23. pitch — completely
  24. fall — the season

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