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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
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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 · bulb · cold · key · hide · board · pitcher · tear

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bulb — for light
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. key — the most important part
  7. board — to get on
  8. key — in music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. board — a committee
  11. key — for a lock
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. cold — an illness
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tear — from crying
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. perch — the fish
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cold — not warm

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