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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · face · land · band · staff · leaves · rock · pitch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. face — to point toward
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. band — a music group
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. face — part of the head
  12. land — a country
  13. staff — employees
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. face — to confront
  19. band — a ring
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. land — to come down
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. land — ground
  24. pitch — a sports field

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