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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: pitcher · bowl · sharp · pitch · bulb · perch · tear · branch

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. tear — from crying
  3. perch — the fish
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. branch — a division
  24. bowl — a football final

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