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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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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: stand · net · perch · wave · wake · cell · chair · pitcher

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wake — a trail
  9. stand — to bear
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. perch — the fish
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. chair — a leader
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. cell — a phone
  17. net — for catching
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. net — in sport
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. net — after costs
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chair — a professorship

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