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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: pitch · perch · leaves · cabinet · bowl · wound · root · date

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitch — completely
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cabinet — ministers

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