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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: perch · pitcher · press · game · snap · stem · can · wake

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. can — a tin
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stem — to come from
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. perch — the fish
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. game — a match
  15. can — a tin
  16. snap — to click
  17. game — wild animals
  18. press — newspapers
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — a trail

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