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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: leaves · perch · wound · kid · pitcher · temple · board · cap

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. board — a committee
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — of ice
  13. kid — to tease
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. board — to get on
  16. wound — an injury
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. kid — child
  19. perch — the fish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. cap — a lid
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. leaves — to go away

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