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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
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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: fan · pit · scale · lean · perch · rash · wound · pitcher

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. lean — thin
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. scale — size or range
  7. lean — to bend
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wound — an injury
  14. scale — in music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — in a race
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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