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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 116 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: wound · bat · pitcher · cell · current · fall · perch · pop

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — music
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — of water
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. current — electric
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. pop — to visit
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. current — happening now
  23. fall — to drop
  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