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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
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: perch · wound · row · fork · pound · spring · pitcher · track

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a song
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — in a road
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. row — to paddle
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pound — a weight
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spring — a coil
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. wound — an injury
  18. track — a path
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. row — a line
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pound — to hit hard

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