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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 · pit · club · band · net · stem · sharp · jam

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. band — a music group
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. net — for catching
  6. perch — the fish
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. club — for dancing
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pit — a hole
  13. club — for golf
  14. stem — to come from
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. band — a ring
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pit — in a race
  23. club — a group
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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