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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: perch · stem · mark · cap · content · pitcher · pop · race

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. content — happy
  3. cap — of ice
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. race — humankind
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pop — to visit
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. perch — the fish
  12. content — the amount
  13. pop — soda
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cap — a hat
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. stem — to come from
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. cap — a lid
  21. mark — a trace
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. race — a contest
  24. pop — music

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