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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.

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: pop · ball · mine · bound · cap · pitcher · perch · fan

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pop — soda
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cap — a lid
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bound — certain
  18. perch — the fish
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pop — music
  21. cap — of ice
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cap — a hat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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