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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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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: perch · mine · cabinet · fine · band · pitcher · swing · fan

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. band — a music group
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mine — for digging
  7. swing — to play on
  8. fine — all right
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. swing — music
  17. swing — in golf
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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