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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: lean · wind · pop · jam · bark · perch · nail · pitch

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pop — music
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bark — to shout
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pitch — completely
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lean — thin
  18. perch — the fish
  19. pop — soda
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pop — to visit

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