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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: coach · ball · perch · pitch · wake · snap · fall · spring

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fall — to drop
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. ball — a dance
  12. spring — a coil
  13. snap — to click
  14. spring — the season
  15. fall — the season
  16. perch — the fish
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. wake — a trail
  19. ball — a great time
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. spring — of water
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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