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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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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: shower · band · firm · temple · perch · net · stand · pitcher

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. net — for catching
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — rain
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. shower — to wash
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. firm — steady
  16. band — a music group
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. band — a ring
  20. firm — decided
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. net — after costs
  23. perch — the fish
  24. net — in sport

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