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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: pitcher · club · wind · wound · mouse · safe · cabinet · perch

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. club — for golf
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. wound — an injury
  15. club — a group
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. perch — the fish
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. club — for dancing
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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