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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.

Words on the sheet
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: mine · pitcher · pop · perch · trunk · rash · cabinet · snap

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. snap — to click
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. mine — for digging
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pop — to visit
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cabinet — ministers

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