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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: pop · pitcher · perch · spring · bear · bowl · patient · bass

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bass — low music
  3. spring — a coil
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. perch — the fish
  7. spring — the season
  8. bear — the animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bass — the fish
  13. pop — to visit
  14. spring — of water
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — soda
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pop — music
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pitcher — a jug

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