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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: stick · pitcher · deal · pop · perch · wave · chest · cabinet

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chest — a box
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. perch — the fish
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pop — to visit
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — a jug

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