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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.

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: bulb · hand · perch · pitcher · degree · can · band · fan

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. band — a ring
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. can — a tin
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. degree — temperature
  9. hand — in cards
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bulb — for light
  17. can — a tin
  18. degree — an amount
  19. band — a music group
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — help
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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