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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: lean · hand · straw · tube · perch · pitcher · rush · pound

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tube — a container
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. tube — the underground
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lean — to bend
  14. hand — in cards
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — help
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. lean — thin
  24. rush — hurry

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