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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: pitcher · clip · bass · perch · calf · rock · lie · land

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. perch — the fish
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. land — to come down
  8. lie — to recline
  9. land — ground
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — music
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bass — low music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — a video
  23. land — a country
  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