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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: wound · fan · bank · nail · bass · pitcher · cell · perch

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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. bass — the instrument
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bank — for money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bass — the fish
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. bass — low music
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bank — of a river
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cell — in biology
  24. wound — an injury

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