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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 120 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: pitch · perch · rush · saw · club · land · trunk · swing

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitch — completely
  3. swing — to play on
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. club — for dancing
  6. land — to come down
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. perch — the fish
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. land — ground
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. swing — music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. club — for golf
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. swing — in golf
  22. saw — the tool
  23. club — a group
  24. land — a country

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