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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.

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: pitcher · bark · mine · lean · kick · mate · perch · march

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. march — the month
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bark — to shout
  6. march — music
  7. lean — thin
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. kick — in football
  11. mate — a partner
  12. march — the month
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. lean — to bend
  16. mine — for digging
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. kick — a thrill

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