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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 · spell · toast · trunk · fall · net · pitcher · season

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — for catching
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spell — a short time
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. net — after costs
  12. season — in sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — of the year
  16. toast — bread
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. spell — magic
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. net — in sport
  24. fall — to drop

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