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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: rock · pitch · perch · fall · track · fan · face · spring

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. face — to point toward
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spring — the season
  5. face — part of the head
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rock — music
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. spring — a coil
  12. track — a path
  13. pitch — completely
  14. fall — to drop
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. face — to confront
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spring — of water
  22. fall — to drop
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. track — a song

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